2016 had Jared Leto step into the oversized clown shoes of one of the most iconic villains in comic book history – not for the last time, but more on that later – however, artnet News brings word that the Oscar-winning actor has agreed terms to play the illustrious pop culture artist for an upcoming Andy Warhol biopic.
An adaptation of Victor Bockris’ book Warhol: The Biography – itself a 2003 reissue of his The Life and Death of Andy Warhol from ’89 – it’s understood Terrence Winter (Boardwalk Empire, The Wolf of Wall Street) is attached to write the script, with Leto himself producing alongside the prolific Michael De Luca, who is currently overseeing erotic sequel Fifty Shades Darker for Universal.
In terms of Andy Warhol, much like the Joker, Jared Leto is by no means the first actor to portray the legendary artist on the big screen, with today’s news confirming that the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman joins a roster of stars that includes David Bowie (in Basquiat), Jared Harris (I Shot Andy Warhol), Guy Pearce (Factory Girl) and Crispin Glover (The Doors).
A brilliant, erratic artist who rose to prominence in the mid-60s, Andy Warhol is a character who needs no introduction, and even if you aren’t terribly well versed in art history, you’ll have no doubt clocked eyes on some of his celebrated work in the past – be it the Campbell’s soup cans or Coca Cola bottles. A visionary with an astute eye for American consumerism, Victor Bockris’ biography reveals an openly gay personality that was flamboyant and over-the-top, to times where Warhol was seemingly cold and withdrawn, even with close friends and family. His legacy lives on through the The Factory in New York following his death in 1987.
On paper, it’s a cracking, complex role for Jared Leto to fill, who won over the Academy three years ago with his portrayal of a troubled HIV-positive trans woman in Dallas Buyers Club. Can he find similar success with this new Andy Warhol biopic? Time will tell.
