‘Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it’: The people have spoken, Dave Franco must play Luigi Mangione

Luigi Mangione is still awaiting his Feb. 17 court hearing, but fan casting for his biopic is already underway, and the people have spoken — they want Dave Franco to play the role.

Luigi Mangione rose to infamy after authorities named him as the main suspect in the brutal murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The authorities never expected Mangione to garner public adulation, but the mess surrounding the U.S. healthcare system meant far too many people understood exactly where the alleged killer was coming from.

Soon, even one of our greatest comedians, Bill Burr, was expressing empathy for what could drive someone to take such drastic measures. Burr went so far as to declare his opinion that these CEOs operate like gangsters who thrive on exploiting regular Americans, a sentiment shared by a significant portion of the public.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty, but he’s now well on his way to true folk hero status. The authorities remain confident they’ll prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mangione was behind the murder. Yet, even as the case remains unresolved, pop culture is moving full steam ahead. A couple of documentaries are already in the works, including one by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. However, what fans are truly clamoring for is a fictional retelling in the style of FX’s American Crime Story, featuring well-represented portrayals by some of the best character actors. And, as soon as Luigi Mangione’s all-time great eyebrows made their way online, nearly everyone began calling for the role to go to Neighbors star Dave Franco.

Dave Franco, currently at the Sundance Film Festival promoting his new film Together alongside his co-star and real-life partner Alison Brie, finally had the chance to address the fan calls for him to portray the Mangione. The Hollywood Reporter asked Franco whether anyone had reached out about the potential role, and Brie quickly interjected, “Anyone? Do you mean everyone?” Franco just chuckled in response. He added, “I have never received more texts in my life about anything. Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it.” However, both he and Brie clarified that no official offers have been made yet.

Someone needs to get Ryan Murphy on the phone right now to make this happen We live in a culture obsessed with true crime, and this case is not only fascinating for the crime itself but also the mystery and controversy surrounding it. This is, quite literally, Hollywood gold. We guarantee multiple scripts are currently in development, though until the jury returns a verdict we don’t have the ending we crave.

Ryan Murphy would be the perfect person for such a project, though it’s fair to assume that those close to the victim could critique Murphy’s penchant for leaning into the exploitative aspects of murder mystery stories. In this case, however, Bill Burr’s assessment feels particularly relevant — these health insurance executives have profited off exploitation themselves, which doesn’t exactly place them in the best position to issue such complaints.