Cesar Chavez up next for biopic treatment | Movie News

Cesar Chavez up next for biopic treatment
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by: Niki Stephens Mar. 19, 2010

César Chávez, it's time for your biopic.

Screenwriter Keir Pearson and Larry Meli have optioned rights to make a biopic about civil-rights activist and labor organizer César Chávez.

The screenplay will be written by Pearson, who is producing with Meli for Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna's Mexico-based Canana Films. The rights were granted by the César Chávez Foundation and negotiations were managed by Chávez's son, Paul.

For those of you may not know a lot about Chávez, here's some highlights:

"From the 1950s through 1993, when he died, Chávez worked as a community organizer and fought for improved working conditions for California farm workers. The Mexican-American co-founded the National Farm Workers Assn., which later became the United Farm Workers union, and campaigned to prevent illegal immigration from undermining unionization efforts. Chávez's birthday, March 31, is celebrated as a state holiday in several states, including California and Texas, and he was awarded the U.S. Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1994. In 2006, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger inducted him into the state's hall of fame.

Pearson is an Oscar nominated screenwriter. He was up for an original screenplay Oscar in 2005 for co-writing HOTEL RWANDA with director Terry George.

Source: THR

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Extra Tidbit: Can I vote for Edward James Olmos as Chávez?

10 discussions Expand all
 
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lalex81
10:03PM on 03/20/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Ricardo Darin
He might not look like Cesar Chavez, but the guy would be perfect for the role and is due for an american role, his resume is pretty impressive: Academy Award Nominated "Son of the Bride", "Nine Queens", "The Aura" and this year Academy Award winner "The Secret of Their Eyes"
He might not look like Cesar Chavez, but the guy would be perfect for the role and is due for an american role, his resume is pretty impressive: Academy Award Nominated "Son of the Bride", "Nine Queens", "The Aura" and this year Academy Award winner "The Secret of Their Eyes"
 
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HoyleHaw
5:51PM on 03/20/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I vote Jacob Vagas.
I vote Jacob Vagas.
 
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MidnightAngel
5:23PM on 03/20/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Nice!
Nice!
 
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HercZanzibar
1:09AM on 03/20/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
over/under
5 oscars noms for another biopic?
5 oscars noms for another biopic?
 
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PumpyFly
12:03AM on 03/20/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Joel_Kirk
Your Joking Right?
Your Joking Right?
 
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Joel_Kirk
11:40PM on 03/19/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
George Lopez can probably do something with the role. (Especially if there is a strong script and a cool director at the helm, which this film seems to have or in the processing of having).
George Lopez can probably do something with the role. (Especially if there is a strong script and a cool director at the helm, which this film seems to have or in the processing of having).
 
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msgelter
7:41PM on 03/19/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Olmos? Really?
Olmos is now almost a decade older than Chavez was when he died, and looks a LOT older than Chavez ever did. Maybe the sentimental favorite, but it's kinda like having Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson play Romeo and Juliet.
Olmos is now almost a decade older than Chavez was when he died, and looks a LOT older than Chavez ever did. Maybe the sentimental favorite, but it's kinda like having Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson play Romeo and Juliet.
 
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corran horn
7:29PM on 03/19/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Sounds good to me
I think it's way past time Cesar Chavez got his biopic, and Kier Pierson (who did a great job w/HOTEL RWANDA) is probably the best person to write this.



I agree with Cosmic, focused biopics like AVIATOR and MILK tend to be better than ones that try to cram a whole life into 2-2.5 hours.



I'm not sure about Edward James Olmos as Chavez, though. He's a little too old...
I think it's way past time Cesar Chavez got his biopic, and Kier Pierson (who did a great job w/HOTEL RWANDA) is probably the best person to write this.



I agree with Cosmic, focused biopics like AVIATOR and MILK tend to be better than ones that try to cram a whole life into 2-2.5 hours.



I'm not sure about Edward James Olmos as Chavez, though. He's a little too old for the part now.
 
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PumpyFly
6:38PM on 03/19/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
Great Man
This is a great idea. This man deserves a biopic. He has earned it.

And Niki, I totally agree with Edward James Olmos.
This is a great idea. This man deserves a biopic. He has earned it.

And Niki, I totally agree with Edward James Olmos.
 
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Cop No. 633
6:21PM on 03/19/2010 Add as a friend | MFC profile
I think it's great that somebody like Chavez is going to have a film made about him. I hope it's focused primarily on when he was an organizer. Bio-pics that specifically focus on a period of time in a person's life tend to be more interesting than when they try to capture every aspect of their life. It's impossible to capture a lifetime in two hours without it being kind of mediocre, so I hope...
I think it's great that somebody like Chavez is going to have a film made about him. I hope it's focused primarily on when he was an organizer. Bio-pics that specifically focus on a period of time in a person's life tend to be more interesting than when they try to capture every aspect of their life. It's impossible to capture a lifetime in two hours without it being kind of mediocre, so I hope they're smart enough to have a specific focus. It's what made the Aviator, Sid & Nancy, the People vs. Larry Flynt, Bonnie & Clyde, and Serpico so good.