Marlon Brando Brought Back To Life By Billy Zane In Stunning First Look Photos
If you’re a film and television fan, you may recognize the name Billy Zane for his performances in projects such as Back to the Future, Twin Peaks, Titanic, or even a few recent episodes of The Boys. Thanks to a new set of first-look photos, however, the actor will surely soon be known as the auteur capable of resurrecting one of cinema’s greatest performers for modern times. According to an exclusive report in Variety, cinema icon Marlon Brando is set to be played by Billy Zane in an upcoming biopic titled Waltzing With Brando.
Billy Zane As Marlon Brando
The first images of the forthcoming indie movie showcase Marlon Brando portrayed by Billy Zane in stunning detail- so much so that some fans could easily be fooled into thinking the photos represent the genuine article. At this time, audiences have not yet heard Zane’s line readings, so there’s no way of knowing if he’s captured Brando’s voice as well as he has his looks. Still, even if Zane pulls off just a fraction of Brando’s mumbling Godfather speech pattern, he’ll be in high contention for an Academy Award.
The Marlon Brando biopic is set to be premiered by Billy Zane in November during Italy’s Torino Film Festival, with the likes of Tia Carrere, Richard Dreyfuss, Jon Heder, Camille Razat, and Hot Tub Time Machine‘s Rob Corddry rounding out the cast.
My Dinner with Jimi filmmaker Bill Fishman serves as the writer-director for the film, which adapts the memoir of Brando’s close friend and financial partner Bernard Judge. The memoir, and thus the film, tells the tale of Marlon Brando hiring Judge to build a massive ecologically perfect structure on the uninhabited island of Tetiaroa, despite numerous roadblocks making the construction project functionally impossible.
Making The Film
Apparently, a great deal of the film was shot on location on the island, with Jon Heder in the role of Bernard Judge against a Godfather-era Marlon Brando, portrayed by Billy Zane. If you’re too young to know the significance of Brando in Hollywood, it’s definitely worth doing a few quick Google searches, as the man was truly one of history’s finest thespians.
Brando lived a tortured existence after spending most of his childhood as a victim of abuse, and eventually grew up to take on leading roles in landmark films including A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, 1978’s Superman, and of course, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 mob movie classic, The Godfather.
For now, there’s no word on when the Marlon Brando biopic will get a wide release within the United States, so there’s no telling when general audiences will finally see Billy Zane take on the task. Still, the film’s upcoming Torino Film Festival premiere should be a good sign that it’s ready to find a distributor. Waltzing With Brando is said to be a major highlight of this year’s lineup at the festival, along with a number of other screenings designed to celebrate the Hollywood legend, as this year represents the centennial of the actor’s birth.
Source: Variety
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