Michael Douglas and Matt Damon’s Liberace Biopic To Air on HBO
Michael Douglas and Matt Damon’s Liberace movie has finally found a home. The Liberace biopic, called “Behind the Candelabra,” will be directed by Steven Soderbergh and will air on HBO.
Soderbergh has been talking about making a Liberace movie since 2009. The film will focus on the flamboyant pianist’s career and his relationship with his young lover, Scott Thorson.
The Washington Post reports that the Liberace movie will be executive produced by Jerry Weintraub and that production on the Liberace movie will start in the Summer of 2012.
Weintraub told the LA Times:
“I wanted people to see the other side of Liberace. I knew Liberace when I was kid. He entertained me a lot, we had a lot of good times together. He was a fun guy and a brilliant artist. He was Elton John and Lady Gaga before they even dreamed of it. But he had two sides to his life — the dark side, which he couldn’t talk about in those days because coming out of the closet could kill a career, and then he was this bigger-than-life artist onstage. He was living in two polar-opposite worlds. And I wanted to show that dynamic.”
Soderbergh said that it was important for him to find a venue that would give his Liberace biopic a wide audience, but also allow him to have creative control. HBO met both of those standards.
Soderbergh said:
“From the inception of this project, we’ve had two priorities: getting it right creatively, and getting as many people as possible to see it. HBO’s fearless approach to original programming and their unparalleled ability to pull in viewers make them the perfect fit for us. Apart from my hair growing back, I couldn’t be happier.”
Michael Douglas and Matt Damon will be playing lovers in the new movie. Douglas will take on the role of the flamboyant Liberace and Damon will play his young lover, Scott Thorson.
If you’re not familiar with Liberace, here’s a clip from one of his Vegas shows.
Are you excited to see Matt Damon and Michael Douglas lock lips in the new Liberace movie?
