Saturday, October 12, 2024

Warren Beatty Readies Howard Hughes Movie at Paramount

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Big news today but under-reported: Warren Beatty has indeed signed to make a movie at Paramount Pictures. He’ll write, direct and star. But what hasn’t been said: Beatty will finally deliver his Howard Hughes biopic, in the works for at least 25 years. Beatty first got involved with a Hughes project in the mid 1980s. He even had a script back then, written with Elaine May–with whom he’d endured the interminable “Ishtar.”

But Beatty, the perfectionist, moved on to other things–like “Bullworth,” “Love Affair,” and “Town and Country.” Now he’s ready. I had even heard a story recently that he was offered a chance to act in a romantic comedy that sounded very promising. But Beatty declined, saying he was embarking at last on “Hughes.”

At least two studios were interested. But I do think Warren made a great choice with Paramount–he’ll need a big, organized studio to pull off this ambitious film. He could have another “Reds” on his hands–one of the great films of all time, and one for which he won an Oscar.

PS The casting for “Hughes” should be pretty competitive. The script would call for a younger Hughes to be cast at least for flashbacks, if nothing else. A young Warren Beatty–that’s a tall order for any actor!

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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