James Dean biopic based on memoir by male lover in development
A new biopic centred around an alleged gay romance involving Hollywood star James Dean while he was at college is currently in development.
The film is set to be made by writer and director, Guy Guido, who has purchased the rights to turn William Bast’s 2006 memoir, Surviving James Dean, into a movie. At this stage, no actors are attached to the upcoming project.
However, Guido has finished the script for the biopic, and has already started having meetings with potential producers as well as assessing his casting options.
Bast passed away in 2015. In his book, he claimed to have met Dean as a late teenager when they both enrolled at a theatre programme at UCLA. Surviving James Dean states the pair initially were roommates, and later became a couple. However, due to Dean’s burgeoning Hollywood career, their relationship was kept private.
In the memoir, Bast revealed that he was optimistic that one day they would be living together. However, his dream for a happy life alongside his lover ended in 1955 when Dean tragically died in a car accident. He was aged 24.
Guido said of the project in a statement provided to Hollywood Reporter: “I have been a fan and historian of James Dean since I was 18 years old, so I knew about his ‘friend’ Willie, even when information about their relationship was straight-washed by the Hollywood machine. As a filmmaker, I love telling the story of a celebrity’s life in their coming-of-age period. As a gay man, I was particularly drawn to Bast’s unique story.”
However, Guido is aware that casting is a crucial part of the process when it comes to the genre of biopics, and he needs his lead actor to be believable as Dean. “I am obsessed with getting the look right when it comes to casting and directing a film about a famous person. I want people to feel as if they are watching the real James Dean on the screen,” Guido said.
While 2025 will mark the 70th anniversary of Dean’s death, Guido still needs to secure financing for the movie before he can plot a potential release date. The writer is not only looking for money, but a business partner committed to storytelling. He explained: “I want to find just the right team to partner with. Producers that understand the gravity and importance of a story like this, especially in today’s divided social climate.”
Previously, Leonardo DiCaprio was lined-up to star as Dean in a biopic, but it failed to materialise. Meanwhile, James Franco once played the Hollywood icon in a television series.
James Dean’s sexuality
In addition to his purported romance with Bast, Dean also dated a series of female actors such as Barbara Glenn and Pier Angeli.
According to Esquire, Dean once said of his sexuality to a reporter: “I’m not a homosexual, but I’m not going through life with one hand tied behind my back.”
Understandably, Dean was coy to discuss his sexuality openly during the 1950s due to same-sex relationships being illegal in the United States at the time. Furthermore, it could have detrimentally impacted his career prospects in Hollywood.
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