(L-R) Brandon Flynn, Source: Netflix. James Dean, Source: Wikipedia Commons
Openly gay actor Brandon Flynn is quickly becoming a sought-after talent for portraying queer Hollywood icons.
After his Off-Broadway role as Marlon Brando in Kowalski earlier this year, Flynn has now been cast as James Dean in a new biopic, Willy and Jimmy Dean, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite online speculation favoring other young Hollywood actors like Austin Butler and Timothée Chalamet for the role, writer-director Guy Guido stated that Flynn was the ideal choice. “Brandon Flynn brings both the fire and vulnerability this role demands,” Guido told THR. “I couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect to explore and play out the complexities of James Dean.”
The film is based on screenwriter William Bast’s 2006 memoir, Surviving James Dean, and will delve into the gay romance between Bast and the “Rebel Without a Cause” heartthrob. The casting for Bast has not yet been announced.
Bast’s memoir recounts his meeting Dean at age 19 during a UCLA theater program. They became roommates and, eventually, secret lovers, even as Dean maintained public relationships with women. Bast had hoped for a future with Dean, but their relationship was tragically cut short by Dean’s death at 24 in 1955. Bast, a prolific television writer, passed away in 2015 at 84.
Guido emphasized that the project is not a conventional biopic. “It’s a tender and sometimes tragic story about two young men who found each other in a time and place where being seen — truly seen — came at a cost,” he explained.
Flynn, 31, expressed his enthusiasm for shedding light on the authentic James Dean beyond his iconic status. “James Dean is like the known unknown,” Flynn shared. “His short life left behind just three films, a mountain of photographs and a cultural mythology we keep trying to decode. This script is a beautiful attempt at truthfully understanding who he really was — not just the icon, but the man.”
He also commended the script for its honest portrayal of Dean’s queer identity and the struggles he faced in his era. “It highlights how Hollywood has historically forced LGBTQ people into performance, even in their personal lives,” Flynn added. “This story dares to present James Dean as a man with real, complex relationships, and I think there’s power in that truth.”
Willy and Jimmy Dean is still in the casting phase for other roles, and production and release dates have not yet been announced.
