GB as the Robert Burns – what better man to play Scotland’s favorite son than the very Scottish Gerard Butler?
Now this is as good a news as they come for Gerard Butler’s fans. Those who’ve been following his career for a while knows full well he’d be perfect for the role and allegedly, the actor himself WANTS to do it. As far back as 3 years ago, at the Red Eye premiere (that smart thriller with Cillian Murphy & Rachel McAdams), he told a reporter that he’s read the script, and in his usual gregariousness enthused how great it was. He even said Julia Stiles was interested to play Burns’ love interest, Jean Armour. Sadly, it went ‘puff’ as soon as GB got his big break in 300. Suddenly he became too busy doing everything from rom-coms to straight-to-DVD wannabe-thrillers that Burns got put in the back burner (or more like shoved under the rug!). He blamed it on financing but methinks he just got other priorities that spell ‘ka-ching.’ Let’s face it, doing a biopic on Rabbie Burns isn’t exactly Michael Bay-type of a blockbuster.
In any case, as of January ’09, seems like the Burns biopic is finally back on! According to Filmstalker, even the Scottish Government is going to provide financial backing for the film. How cool is that? You can read more about it here.
Let’s hope that this is more than just a rumor or wishful thinking. I can’t wait to see GB’s dramatic chops nail this one, oh, and it’d be great to hear him use his own Scottish brogue for once!
In honor of Burns, here are five notable biopics worth another look:
- Walk the Line (Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash)
- Ray (Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles)
- Schindler’s List (Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler)
- The Agony & the Ecstasy (Charlton Heston as Michelangelo)
- A Beautiful Mind (Russell Crowe as Noble Prize winner John Nash)
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Also notable:
Number six: Finding Neverland (Johnny Depp as JM Barrie, author of Peter Pan)
Number seven: Good Night and Good Luck (David Strathairn as early 1950s newsman Edward R. Murrow)
🙂
More good picks:
The Insider (Russell Crowe (again!) as Jeffrey Wigand, the whistleblowing tobacco research chemist seen on 60 Minutes)
At First Sight (Val Kilmer as Virgil Adamson, blind from age 3 who sees again)
Yes, I was going to list the Insider also. In hindsight, that’s actually a much better film than A Beautiful Mind. Crowe transformed himself as Wigand by gaining 35 pounds and dyed his hair gray. It’s a powerful film indeed!