Say what you will about Jared Leto, but there’s rarely a roll he takes that doesn’t require some kind of transformation. It’s easy to forget that in the swirl of “Suicide Squad” this summer where he played an Ed Hardy-ized Joker, his previously big screen appearance was three years prior, looking completely different and taking home an Oscar for his work in “Dallas Buyer’s Club.” At the moment, he’s shooting Denis Villeneuve‘s “Blade Runner” sequel — and who knows what kind of look he’ll have for the futuristic flick — and after that he’s got another part that will once again see him diving into the costume department headfirst.
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THR reports that Leto will portray Pop Art icon Andy Warhol. Terence Winter (“Boardwalk Empire,” “Vinyl“) is penning the screenplay about the openly gay artist who changed modern art forever, and formed a fixture for New York City’s artistic community with The Factory. His story spans decades and it’ll be interesting to see what years the movie will focus on, but Winter will have some solid source material to start with, using “Warhol: The Biography” by Victor Bockris as the foundation. Here’s the synopsis:
Artist, filmmaker, magazine publisher, instigator of Pop Art, Andy Warhol used his canvasses of dollar bills, soup cans, and celebrities to subvert distinctions between high and popular culture. His spectacular career encompassed the underground scene as well as the equally deviant worlds of politics, show business, and high society. Warhol is the definitive chronicle of Warhol’s storied life.
It should be noted that Winter has previously toyed with Warhol as a character, with John Cameron Mitchell playing the artist in “Vinyl.” And in cinema he’s been portrayed numerous times, in wildly different incarnations from Bill Hader in “Men In Black 3” to David Bowie‘s excellent turn in “Basquiat” to Jared Harris in “I Shot Andy Warhol” to Guy Pearce in “Factory Girl.” But there’s still room for a defining performance, and it’ll be interesting to see what Leto will bring to the table. And that will likely also depend on the director, which hasn’t yet been found for this project.