Biopics are flooding theaters this holiday season—with more in development. And while Daniel Day-Lewis shines in Lincoln, we’re not so sure about Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs. See more stars playing other famous faces.
AP Photo; Fox Searchlight
In Hitchcock, which chronicles the hardships Alfred Hitchcock faced during the making of his landmark film Psycho, Anthony Hopkins plays the legendary director. Hopkins is the second actor to portray Hitchcock this year—Toby Jones starred in the HBO film The Girl. The film is out in limited release Nov. 23.
Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis is already generating a ton of Oscar buzz for his portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Civil War film Lincoln and looks like a shoo-in for a Best Actor nomination. The film is in theaters now.
In Hyde Park on Hudson, out Dec. 7, Bill Murray plays President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he and the first lady host King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for a weekend at their home in New York.
Amy Adams was recently cast to star in Janis Joplin: Get It While You Can, one of two upcoming biopics about the iconic soul singer Janis Joplin. But Adams’s film, scheduled for release in 2012, could struggle, as rival film Janis, starring Nina Arianda, could have exclusive rights to Joplin’s music.
Andre Benjamin, known to OutKast fans as the rapper Andre 3000, is the spitting image of guitarist Jimi Hendrix in the upcoming biopic All Is by My Side. The producers of the film, however, have not managed to get the rights to any of Hendrix’s music. Instead the film, to be released in 2013, will show Benjamin performing covers of songs like “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “Wild Thing.”
Al Pacino recently finished shooting an untitled Phil Spector TV biopic that follows the murder trial of the Motown producer. But playing one disgraced icon isn’t enough for Pacino, apparently. The actor also expressed interest in portraying former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno amid the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
There are a few Steve Jobs biopics in the works, including one by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, but the one that caught our attention was Jobs, which will feature Ashton Kutcher as the late Apple CEO. The casting may come as a surprise to some, but Kutcher will be playing a much younger and scruffier Jobs in his post-college days.
Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley portrays guitarist and singer Jeff Buckley in the upcoming film Greetings From Tim Buckley. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival to mixed reviews, but Badgley has mostly received praise for his role as Buckley.
Avatar actress Zoe Saldana has been cast as jazz singer Nina Simone in the biopic Nina. Her selection has been met with criticism, however. Some believe Saldana’s light skin tone and fine features makes her the wrong actress to play Simone.
