It seems that a film about notorious “Deep Throat” porn star Linda Lovelace is something quite a few people in Hollywood want to get made. There are two currently competing projects: the first is Matthew Wilder‘s “Inferno” that was famously going to have Lindsay Lohan in the lead role, but now is toplined by Malin Akerman and Matt Dillon. Last we heard, filming was supposed to begin this month though it appears that hasn’t really happened and word on the project has grown quiet once again. The other is by “Howl” and “The Celluloid Closet” directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman that at one point was courting Kate Hudson and James Franco, and while we haven’t heard a peep out of that project since the beginning of the year, it’s now earning some fresh buzz.
Olivia Wilde seems to be everywhere at moment and by the time 2011 is over she will have appeared in four films — “Cowboys & Aliens,” “The Change-Up,” “In Time” and “Butter” (we presume it will pop up on the fall festival circuit somewhere). Her star is clearly on the rise and as she tells E! Online, “I’m being very careful about my next project since I’m now in a position where I can be really picky.” And she may use that clout to play Linda Lovelace in the Epstein/Friedman film, as she tells E! she is eyeing the role.
The project has a script from W. Merritt Johnson (”In Treatment,” “Temple Grandin”) and is based on the very slim, and seemingly out of print/hard to get book “The Complete Linda Lovelace” by Eric Danville. Traynor was Lovelace’s husband during her porn years but once she retired from biz she accused him of coercing her into pornography and prostitution with physical violence and even hypnosis. And depending on who you ask, its either totally true or completely ridiculous.
“It would be a tremendous honor,” Wilde said. “It’s such a cool role. She was a fascinating woman—with where she came from to ‘Deep Throat’ to then working with Gloria Steinem and Nora Ephron. It’s really fascinating.” So it’s easy to see why the seemingly salacious part has appeal — Lovelace was a cultural icon, complicated figure and reluctant star.
Anyway, we’ll see how this develops. We can only imagine that a film about a porn star would be difficult to finance in this kind of climate but attaching someone like Wilde would certainly go a long way in getting funds in order. Clearly, Wilde is ready to take on some riskier, more challenging fare.