Big Screen

Which Actor Will Put In The Ol’ Blue Contacts?

Yesterday we learned that Marty Scorsese is directing a Frank Sinatra biopic and all of New Jersey fell over dead with joy. Today we wonder: Who’s gonna be in the damn thing?

The good people over at Vulture tell us that Universal wants to cast Johnny Depp, though Scorsese would rather go with his beautiful blonde boyfriend who he kisses all the time, Leonardo DiCaprio. If this is an origin story, though, then isn’t Depp a little too old?

Meanwhile the Observer suggests four actors: James Franco, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Simon Baker, and Jon Hamm. Any of those could work, we guess, though probably the best course of action is to find some unknown, like from the world of theatre or something. The actor doesn’t have to sing—Universal got the song rights and will use the original tracks in the film—but he does have to look like he knows how to perform on a musical stage.

But, all things considered, we think it should go to the reigning king of music biopics. Jamie Foxx, whaddaya say?

Who do you think would be good?

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • sarrible

    @Omitofo: Ooh. That would be interesting.

  • Mikey-B

    Steve Buscemi.

  • budy920

    no - that is/was Scott Cohen who went on to gilmore girl fame and a few others@oudemia:

    budy920

  • apocalypse-nowish

    Do not hire DiCraprio.

  • apocalypse-nowish

    @Sproing: He's too big. I love John but he'd be better playing Deano. Or Dino, or however people spell it.

  • Almostbanned

    Vincent Chase

    Almostbanned

  • Perhaps Not

    @Mercutia: The Scorgayse thing is a joke, and Bobby D. is a huge asshole, unfortunately. I share your despair - I loved him in many things, but he has become dickheaded in his old age.

    Perhaps Not

  • pufflehuff

    @PunnyMcGee: Hm, interesting. I am liking the way you're thinking.

  • ZalikaMouse

    Hillary Swank. think about it....

    ZalikaMouse

  • sandinista

    Dick Cheney. If we can get him out of his cave.

    sandinista

  • Dauberfan

    def. harry connick jr.

    Dauberfan

  • ArmCandy

    Jessica Lowndes for Ava?

    ArmCandy

  • woolfman

    Penn Badgley?

    woolfman

  • Sproing

    John Barrowman.

  • SuperBien

    @crookedE: That actually could work, I think.

  • gangsta_geeky

    james franco would be good. i think he could take on the mannerisms, etc, and make up for not looking exactly like sinatra... it's sad that harry connick jr is too old ~ he looks almost exactly like him.

  • oudemia

    @karion: Oh golly, that was him?

  • iamjustjules

    @bess marvin, girl detective: She rocked Bob Dylan too well. Everyone's jealous

    iamjustjules

  • SuperBien

    @The Rat Pack

  • SuperBien

    @fuzzywhat: Rhys Myers might be good, but he already played The Pelvis. I love Paul Bettany, but he's too gangly + pasty.

  • SidAndFinancy

    Joe Piscopo could probably clear some time on his schedule.

  • mslewis

    Except for Frankie Muniz, everybody mentioned here is too old and/or too tall!! I vote for Muniz. He's a small man and he sort of looks like a young Sinatra and I think he could pull off the accent. A handsome, well-known actor could not pull off playing Sinatra. I think they should go for an unknown (or Muniz) and then surround him with stars playing the wife, girlfriends and especially Ava Gardner. That's my opinion and I won't stand for anything else!!! I'm off to call Marty right now!!

    mslewis

  • crookedE

    Ed Westwick.

  • rina

    @nowmedusa: He did a pretty good job as Elvis.

  • parkslump

    Heath Ledger.

    Well, he could have been a great choice.

    parkslump

  • EleanorRigby

    This guy: [www.imdb.com]

  • TroisFilles

    Jon Hamm if age matters
    Ray Liota if it doesn't
    Then DiCaprio
    No Depp

    TroisFilles

  • Iceland Spar

    Ian McKellen

    Iceland Spar

  • lurkystars

    @vlvtjones: If he could pull off the accent, he'd probably work! He's definitely short enough.

  • lurkystars

    @gringuitico: As much as I love HCjr, he's gotten too old and fat and tall. They could use him for the soundtrack tho.

  • Cecil's Wielder

    @depardoo: You are correct.

    Cecil's Wielder

  • MsMuffinMcGuffin

    Mark Wahlberg.

  • the fung

    @the fung: Stockard Channing?

    the fung

  • the fung

    @SkyHits is a sanctimonious prick: HA!

    the fung

  • SkyHits is a sanctimonious prick

    @the fung: Carol Channing FTW.

  • the fung

    Channing Tatum FTW.

    the fung

  • vlvtjones

    The kid from "Malcolm in the Middle", Frankie Muniz.

    vlvtjones

  • bess marvin, girl detective

    Who does Cate Blanchett have to fuck around here to get mentioned?

  • OldTowneTavern

    Jon Hamm? Are they aware of the size of Sinatra? Let's face it, they need someone short, scrawny and kinda hard on the eyes. Too bad Glenn Scarpelli aged out. Maybe, after a couple more years of hard living...Lindsay?

  • the fung

    @Queen of the Passive Aggressives: And Thirded-ed.

    the fung

  • the fung

    @Queen of the Passive Aggressives: Seconded.

    the fung

  • AynBeaDavisAsMalice

    Dick Whitman, please. He has the suits.

    AynBeaDavisAsMalice

  • nowmedusa

    @fuzzywhat: It seems wrong to have a Brit play Sinatra somehow.

    nowmedusa

  • Coldouglas

    For Frank, Christina Ricci (with some strategic taping for the early, Bones-from-Hoboken scenes). She's Joisey and Italian, after all.

    For Nancy Sr, Gina Gershon (again).
    Nancy Jr, Tara Reid.
    Frank Jr, Jack Black.
    Sam Giancana...well...Scorsese still acts sometimes, don't he?
    As for the rest of the Rat Pack - Hugh Grant as Lawford and gimme some time for the others.

    Coldouglas

  • fuzzywhat

    Rhys Myers has the eyes and the angular thing going on. He's perfect for it. Paul Bettany may also be able to pull it off.

    fuzzywhat

  • Soup

    Harry Connick Jr.

  • bytememehard

    @Omitofo: Perhaps not sexy on Planet Omitofo; but elsewhere, pretty much.

  • Queen of the Passive Aggressives

    Kate Winslet

    Queen of the Passive Aggressives

  • Omitofo

    Zac Efron!!!

    but seriously, Dominic Cooper (but only IF he could pull of a decent east coast accent).

  • Omitofo

    @Slackferno: non-seconded. He's NOT sexy and very wishy-washy

  • Mercutia

    Stupid question: is there really supposed to be Something Going On vis a vis Scorsese and DiCaprio, or is that just everyone rolling their eyes at how the latter is apparently Marty's new DeNiro?

    Also, Marty, don't you love Bobby anymore? Bring him back! I miss him!

    Mercutia

  • Scout 3.0

    @karion: Looks too old.

    Scout 3.0

  • Cecil's Wielder

    I just want Jon Hamm to be in more things, I'm sure he'd be good.

    Cecil's Wielder

  • depardoo

    By the way, if I recall correctly, that mugshot was in connection with Frank's arrest for cavorting with a married lady.

    depardoo

  • karion

    My first thought was Hamm, but only because I've loved him since Kissing Jessica Stein.

    karion

  • depardoo

    King of music biopic: Joaquin Phoenix.

    depardoo

  • Slackferno

    @gringuitico: Seconded.

  • Nic Fit

    Franco.

  • pattycakes

    juaquin phoenix, of course

    pattycakes

  • Disco-Johnson

    Emilio Estevez

  • BadUncle

    I wish I had a mug shot that purty.

  • HiredGoons

    James Franco plz I can haz sum?

  • gringuitico

    harry connick jr

  • Scout 3.0

    Jonathan Rhys Meyers

    Scout 3.0

  • jasonelias

    Christian Slater.

  • PunnyMcGee

    Why do I keep thinking "Ben Wishaw."

  • tarawanna

    Connick 10 years ago, perfect, but all wrong now. Depp is a little old, but still a possibilty because he's Depp. Maybe Rhys Myers. DiCaprio, no, no, never, no. Franco, Hamm, Baker, no.

    If it weren't for the nose, I'd go with Adrien Brody.

    @Mikey-B I have to respect the Buscemi call.
    @SultanaEluesis Nice try, but you're going to have to wait for re-make of "The Exorcist" to unload Jindal.

    tarawanna

  • Omitofo

    @bytememehard: did you see "PS I love you"?

  • SultanaEleusis

    Bobby Jindal. He must be good for something.

    SultanaEleusis

  • LarinaCaninus

    Ed Westwick or Emile Hirsh. I do love Jimmi Simpson though. No please no Shia Lebeouf.

    LarinaCaninus

  • Proofer3

    Jimmi Simpson who played Farnsworth in The Farnsworth Invention on Broadway last year - also known as Lyle the intern on Letterman.

  • GreatOdensRaven

    @Almostbanned: In the grand scheme of things, Adrian Grenier actually wouldn't be the worst idea.

    Otherwise, there's always Nicholas Cage.

  • GreatOdensRaven

    @Queen of the Passive Aggressives: Winslet? Do we really need to see Sinatra naked?

  • depardoo

    @SidAndFinancy:

    "I've got chunks in my stool bigger than you!"

    depardoo

  • robotsattack

    @depardoo:

    the charge was "seduction". awesome.

    robotsattack

  • Jackiewsu

    shia labeouf. you heard it here first

  • pattycakes

    on second thought my favorites so far are ed westwick or frankie muniz.
    cate blanchett is a close third though.

    pattycakes

  • SultanaEleusis

    If Jamie Foxx gets the role, then we will have to hear Rush Limbaugh and Lou Dobbs prate about how it represents discrimination against white males...

    SultanaEleusis

  • krismry

    @Mercutia:de nero is too independent, he makes his own movies, and the first thing he thought up to direct was a composite history of the coldwar crypto analysts at mclean, an archaic topic but one with alot more life in it than yet another singing mafia biopic. but i don't know anything any more, either.

  • krismry

    @robotsattack: seduction as charged, the truth for once. the only people who could logically play the part of frank sinatra are long dead. marty scorcese is out of ideas and he is giving me such a deja vu all over again headache that i may need to sign up for a cat scan.

  • ubermeme

    Effron would be fascinating. It would be his "Hey, I can actually act" movie.

    Franco can be in every film released in the next ten years and I will not tire of him.

    ubermeme

  • Mercutia

    @Perhaps Not: I thought it was a joke.

    And how is DeNiro getting dickheaded? I swear I don't know ANYTHING anymore. *sigh*

    Mercutia

  • TroisFilles

    @sandinista: It's Sinatra, not Phantom of the Opera.

    TroisFilles

  • TroisFilles

    @Cecil's Wielder: So do I. But mostly just in one thing...

    TroisFilles

  • pooks

    James Marsden (a la "27 Dresses," "The Notebook," "Enchanted," "Hairspray"). He's got the hair, he's got the blue eyes, and the boy can SING. I lurvvvv him.

  • pooks

    @Scout 3.0: Blech. For starters, Rhys Meyers strikes me as being as geigh as the day is long. Also, the guy doesn't act, so much as he basically poses and preens in front of the camera. He just doesn't project enough masculinity.

  • cassandra

    @fuzzywhat: when rhys-myers plays anyone, you just see that it's rhys myers. dicaprio is an excellent choice, as is james franco. both have the right bone structure. dicaprio wins by a hair because he's better at menace.

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