John Cusack In Negotiations To Play Beach Boys Brian Wilson
John Cusack has entered negotiations to star as Beach Boys alum Brian Wilson in the film Love and Mercy, according to a Wednesday report from The Wrap.
The website stated that the film will focus on Wilson’s career and his struggle with mental illness. Cusack will handle the older version of Wilson while Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) will cover the early years.
(Dano came to the project in January of this year.)
Writer Oren Moverman will handle the adaptation, and, if you know anything about his work on I’m Not There, then you know not to expect a straight forward tale.
In the previous film, Bob Dylan’s career played out with six different actors stepping into the role. (Cusack and Dano won’t have as much help.)
Bill Pohlad will direct the film, his first time in the chair since 1990’s Old Explorers. Pohlad has spent most of his time producing features with recent credits on The Tree of Life and The Runaways, the latter of which focused on the relationship between rockers Joan Jett and Cherie Currie.
Musically, Love and Mercy will get an Oscar-winning composer in Atticus Ross (The Social Network) to handle sound design and soundtrack. Of course, since this is the Beach Boys we’re talking about, a significant part of the work’s been done.
As for John Cusack, he’s been on a reality kick as of late with turns as Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven and Richard Nixon in the upcoming film The Butler.
At age 46, Cusack has scheduled a dizzying slate of films for 2013. In addition to The Butler, his IMDb resume has a TV mini-series (Doll and Em) and seven feature films, including yet another real-life character in serial killer Robert Hansen (The Frozen Ground).
He’s even got plans to star as this guy:
The Rush Limbaugh film — tentatively titled Rush — doesn’t have a clear direction yet. Personally, we’re thinking Love and Mercy is a better fit.
What do you think about casting John Cusack and Paul Dano as Beach Boys star Brian Wilson — inspired or off-the-mark?
[Image via magicinfoto / Shutterstock.com]
