There have been few faces in cinematic history as expressive and moving as that of Montgomery Clift. His filmography might be all too brief, but he didn’t waste a moment, delivering iconic turns in movies like “From Here To Eternity,” “Judgment At Nuremberg,” “The Search,” “Terminal Station” and more. And now his own life is getting the big screen treatment.
“White Collar” star Matt Bomer has been tapped to play Clift in an upcoming biopic. Christopher Lovick has penned the script, that will be directed by Larry Moss, and will tell the story of the actor, who quickly rose to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. But he never recovered after a serious car accident during the filming of “Raintree County,” one that left him with scars on his matinee idol face, and chronic pain, which he chased with alcohol and pills. And his growing dependency on drugs is believed to have led to the heart attack that killed him at the all too early age of 45. But even in his short time, making just 18 features, he earned 4 Academy Award nominations.
There are no exact details on the breadth of the story though IMDB notes, the film will focus on the making of “A Place In The Sun,” and in particular on his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor whom he grew close. They would make two more movies together — “Raintree County” and “Suddenly, Last Summer” — and she is said to have dislodged a tooth from Clift’s tongue, coming up on the wreck following his accident, to prevent him from choking on it.
The project is being shopped around, but if all goes well, it’ll roll in front of cameras next year. [Deadline]