WELL, this is probably a good-news-and-bad-news situation.
Mike Fleming has just reported in Variety that the star of “titanic” and “the departed” has been attached to “the deep blue goodbye,” the first of what could become a franchise of films based on john d. macdonald’s travis mcgee series. HERE’s my previous LAT piece on the project.
here’s fleming:
“Chernin joins Appian Way’s DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson-Killoran as producers on a project that has a strong draft by Dana Stevens (“For Love of the Game”) that is drawing interest from directors. Amy Robinson is also involved in a producing capacity.
“DiCaprio is in line to play Travis McGee, a self-described beach bum who lives aboard the 52-foot houseboat The Busted Flush, and alleviates his
cash flow problems by hiring on as a “salvage consultant.” He recovers property for clients, taking a hefty percentage and getting into a lot of danger and romance in sun-drenched Florida. “The Deep Blue Goodbye,” the first of a 21 volume bestselling series, was originally published in 1964.”
“DiCaprio is in line to play Travis McGee, a self-described beach bum who lives aboard the 52-foot houseboat The Busted Flush, and alleviates his
cash flow problems by hiring on as a “salvage consultant.” He recovers property for clients, taking a hefty percentage and getting into a lot of danger and romance in sun-drenched Florida. “The Deep Blue Goodbye,” the first of a 21 volume bestselling series, was originally published in 1964.”
the goods news is, this brings us a little closer — after decades of waiting — to a real mcgee film. it also suggests the studio will spend money on it. decaprio is a real actor who’s deepened in his recent work.
but doesn’t he seem at least a little bit wrong? too young? too pretty? too sensitive? too internal for the raw-boned floridian?
readers let me hear from you!
Photo credit: Public domain
Ugh, I grow so weary of the PREJUDGMENT of people re: film casting. How many times have the ‘stone throwers’ (usually literary cognoscenti) been DEAD WRONG? To put it into literary context: Don’t judge a book by its cover!
Ok then let’s cast the role:
Johnny Depp?
Emile Hirsch ?
But why not Leo? Make a better case for poo pooing Di Caprio please.
not sure that trying to discern how good a fit cast and role is quite as shallow as “judging a book by its cover.” readers tend to develop a strong image in their mind of characters they love or care about. you can see dicaprio as a fine actor and still feel a mismatch here.
No worries! I wouldn’t characterize either pursuit as “shallow” both involve critical judgments based on many factors, which is why cover art is so very important to both book and video sales! The beauty of creating the soul of a human spirit through art (acting) is the limitless opportunity to surprise, surpass expectations and win the admiration of those who may have thought it couldn’t be done. I remember the gasps when it was revealed that Sean Penn would play Harvey Milk.
Cheers,
PS I do see your point though.
Here’s a quote about John D. Macdonald that I often see bouncing around the web (I hesitate to quote from Wikipeida, which we all know is generally stuff we can wipe our asses with, but this seems legit). “Macdonald is by any standards a better writer than Saul Bellow, only Macdonald writes thrillers and Bellow is a human heart chap, so guess who wears the top grade laurels?” That’s from Kingsley Amis.
http://postmoderndeconstructionmadhouse.blogspot.com/2015/01/john-d-macdonald-look-at-some-aspects.html#.VNHn89L