Zachary Quinto of “Star Trek” fame is set to play the lead in an upcoming George Gershwin biopic to be helmed by Steven Spielberg.
Gershwin was a composer and pianist who wrote music for both Broadway and classical concert halls, masterminding, along with vocalist brother Ira, up to a dozen Broadway musicals. He passed away in 1937 at the age of 38 but his influence on music can still be heard today.
Spielberg’s future has been subject to much speculation after he left his “Harvey” remake in the dust, but this project is reportedly now one of three in contention to be his next at the reformed Dreamworks. Other options may include an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s children WWI novel “War Horse,” his long-gestating Abraham Lincoln biopic starring Liam Neeson, a Martin Luther King biopic, Jonathan Nolan’s sci-fi script “Interstellar,” an adaptation of kid’s book “39 Clues,” or god forbid a fifth “Indiana Jones” flick.
If the Gershwin biopic happens, which sounds likely, expect things to come together quickly. As we previously reported, a script by Doug Wright (“Town House”) is already finished and Quinto is reportedly already undertaking accent and dialogue coaching with an eye to potentially go in front of cameras as early as this April.