Howard Hughes seems to be excellent fodder for cinema, and not just because of his involvement in the medium. He was the subject of Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, the template for a James Bond villain (in Diamonds are Forever), and has been referenced in The Simpsons. Now, the iconic billionaire recluse will be played by another icon of sorts, as Warren Beatty finally gets things underway for his long-gestating Howard Hughes film.
Beatty still plans to take on the part of the influential icon, in a film directed by himself, but Hughes is not the focus of the film; that honor goes to Alden Ehrenreich, playing Hughes’s young assistant who falls for a young woman (Lily Collins) who may or may not also be falling for Hughes. Collins replaces Felicity Jones, the actress long attached to the project who has since dropped out. The rest of the cast includes Annette Bening and Matthew Broderick, with rumors of Beatty’s old pal Jack Nicholson taking on a part as well.
Beatty’s Howard Hughes feature has been sitting on the shelf for awhile now, amid rumors that he had finally dropped the project or that he was no longer planning to play Hughes himself. Now production has actually begun, which means that we might actually see this film before long. Given that Beatty has not been behind the camera of a feature film since 1998’s Bulworth, it will be interesting to see if he’s managed to move with the times.
There’s no word on further plot details or potential release dates as yet, but it is nice to hear that Beatty has finally begun production. With a strong cast more or less set, we can expect to hear more word on this film any day now.
Until then, you can use the comments section below to let us know what you think about Warren Beatty stepping both behind and in front of the camera once more.
