A biopic on Gene Wilder is officially in development. Filmmaker Dito Montiel has secured the life rights from the late actor’s estate. The project promises to examine the full arc of a remarkable career that redefined screen comedy.
Gene Wilder biopic is in the works
The upcoming movie promises to examine the full arc of a remarkable career that redefined screen comedy. Wilder, who died in 2016 at the age of 83, left behind a body of work that includes some of the most quoted performances in film history.
From his maniacal chocolatier in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory to the frantic Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein, his characters balanced chaos with an undercurrent of melancholy. This new movie aims to understand the shy theatre actor who became that singular presence.
Dito Montiel will direct from a script he co-wrote with Jeremy Roth. Roth’s previous work includes writing for Hulu’s Love, Victor and How I Met Your Father. The production team features Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins, and Megan Freels Johnston for Intrinsic Value Films, alongside Josh Kesselman of Mgmt Entertainment.
The biopic will trace Gene Wilder’s journey from his early days on stage to his rise as a major Hollywood actor. It will also explore the personal difficulties that ran parallel to his professional success.
The late actor received two Academy Award nominations during his career. The first came for his supporting role as Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks’ The Producers. The second arrived for co-writing the adapted screenplay of Young Frankenstein.
Montiel, who broke through with the acclaimed memoir and film A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, spoke about the complicated nature of his subject. “Gene Wilder was one of those rare people who was somehow funnier and sadder than everyone else in the room at the same time. That’s not a character. That’s a life,” he said. “I couldn’t say no to that.”
A release date and other details are yet to be announced.
(Source: Deadline)
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon.
