Director Anton Corbijn (The American) has been very busy as of late, debuting his most recent effort, A Most Wanted Man at Sundance earlier this year, then jumping right into filming his upcoming project, Life. The film stars Dane DeHaan as James Dean, who takes a journey across the US with Magnum photographer Dennis Stock (played by Robert Pattinson). Stock had been tasked with capturing the up-and-coming actor for Life Magazine, less than a year before Dean’s rise to superstardom and tragic death. The pair take a road trip from Los Angeles to New York, then to Dean’s hometown of Fairmont, Indiana so that Stock could photograph him in the environments that “affected and shaped” the actor’s “unique character.”
Today, we have the first image from Life courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, who had a chance to speak with Corbijn about the film. Check out what he had to say below:
“Rob has an intensity that I think Dennis would have. When I see Rob, I see an inner turmoil that is great for the role. And Dane is really interesting. He has a beautiful face, but it’s a hard face to grasp. It’s hard to see how Dane reads sometimes, and the same thing goes for James Dean.”
DeHaan has become one of Hollywood’s most interesting and prolific new actors due to his breakout role in 2012’s Chronicle. Since then, he’s appeared in ten major films, including Lawless, The Place Beyond the Pines, Kill Your Darlings and this year’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Life will certainly be another interesting role for him, and he definitely looks the part, sporting Dean’s iconic glare and brooding posture.
Life has only begun production but is currently eying a 2015 release date. Along with DeHaan and Pattinson, the film stars Ben Kingsley and Kristen Hager from a script penned by relative newcomer Luke Davies.
What do you think of Dane DeHaan playing James Dean? Do you think he’s a good fit for the role? Let us know in the comments below!
