From Stacie Hougland: First Iron Man, now ...The Man?
Robert Downey Jr. is rumored to be this close to signing on to Playboy, a biopic about magazine publisher/lounging lothario Hugh Hefner. Brian Grazer is producing the pic, while Brett Ratner, to blame for giving us the Rush Hour trilogy, is no longer attached to direct. Sources say Downey Jr. is likely waiting until a script is done and director named.
This could be cool, or it could suck. Downey's on top of the world now and has his pick of projects--does he need to risk playing a porn peddler in between comic book movies? As for the story, how do you end a Hef biopic? At least in his movie, Larry Flynt had gotten shot and his wife died of AIDS--now there's an ending. Hef's just gotten...old. I'm also not convinced anyone cares about his story. In an age where porn is a mere mouseclick away and nobody reads magazines anymore unless Britney Spears is on the cover, who'll be that interested in Hef's rags-to-riches tale about putting naked chicks in print? On the other hand, if there's any actor who could take the part and run with it it's Downey Jr. Seems to me it all depends on the script.
Weigh in: Would you see a Hef biopic? See Robert Downey Jr. as Hef?
