Five Locals We Think Could Star in Upcoming Jeff Buckley Biopics
Categories: Talking Shit
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Smuggler Films' version, Greetings From Tim Buckley, seems to have the head start. This past Monday, the Huffington Post reported that this project had selected Gossip Girls' Penn Badgley to play the late Buckley. Directed by Dan Algrant (Naked in New York), this film will focus on the days leading up to Buckley's famed breakout 1991 performance at a Brooklyn tribute concert to his deceased father, folk musician Tim Buckley.
The other project, spearheaded by Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, will have acclaimed music video director Jake Scott (Radiohead, Verve, U2) in the director's chair. This is reported to take a more conventional biopic approach. Scott's rendition will cover the totality of Buckley's life, from his birth in Anaheim, California, to his tragic death while swimming in Tennessee's Wolf River Harbor in 1997.
Rumor has it that The Twilight Saga's Robert Pattinson is in serious contention for the lead role in this yet-untitled rendition. Meanwhile, other blogs suggest that developers also have their eyes on acclaimed actor James Franco.
Just in case Pattinson is too busy nibbling on Kristen Stewart's neck and casting directors might still be looking to fill the role, we'd like to offer up a few local, South Florida options we think might just have what it takes to play the departed crooner.
1. Nick Eberhardt
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| Photo by Alex Elerian |
Based on looks alone, Nick Eberhardt is a spot-on Buckley. This West Palm Beach musician certainly has the defined cheek-bone structure to fill the role, no doubt, but he also has the dead-on sensitive, tortured-artist spirit to complete it.
2. Sam Friend
Shifting his time from Miami to Seattle to New York, Miami-bred University of Miami grad Friend certainly embodies the troubadour
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3. John Ralston
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OK, so this bushy Lake Worth musician has gotten a wee bit shaggy since his musical pendulum swung from his introspective Elliot Smith-like beginnings toward his more recent free-form Tom Petty-style Americana. He's still an enthralling force. Similiar to Buckley himself, he has the skills that will have the guys in awe while the gals are swooning over his good looks.
4. Julian Cires
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5. Mike Mineo
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| Alex Markow |
We'd like to think of Mineo as a kind of tropical version of Jeff Buckley. This Boca Raton resident branches out from standard coffeehouse singer/songwriter fare with a style that's completely eclectic and ever-shifting. Hollywood types would admire his creativity.
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