Dutch filmmaker Anton Corbijn is currently in post-production on his adaptation of the novel A Most Wanted Man, but already he has been lined up to direct a drama about another wanted man for See-Saw Films. THR reports Corbijn will helm Life, a biopic about the iconic matinee idol James Dean and the friendship he formed with Life magazine photographer Dennis Stock.
Stock was an up-and-coming photog when a gig for the Magnum agency changed the trajectory of his life. Asked to shoot an emerging and intense young actor called James Dean, Stock and the soon-to-be star connected. Their friendship can be charted through the photos taken over the course of their friendship, which included a road trip from Los Angeles to New York and Indiana. This trip occurred just before Dean was minted a star thanks to his heartbreaking turn in the 1955 drama East of Eden. Just a few months later, Dean's life was tragically cut short in a fatal car accident.
Corbijn seems like a good fit for this story of a friendship formed between two impossibly cool males. His last effort was the thoughtful spy thriller The American, which memorably starred George Clooney as an unruffled assassin. However, that project boasted a budget of $20 million, whereas Life is expected to come in between $10-15 million. So, it's unlikely See-Saw producers Iain Canning (The King's Speech, Shame) and Emile Sherman (Top of the Lake) will be shopping for A-listers to play their leads. But the cool factor could snag them some swaggering indie stars. With production expected to begin in early 2014, we should hear casting news soon.
