One of the greatest icons of the seventies is getting the biopic treatment. Gene Wilder, who starred in such classics as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, is getting an authorized film made about his life by Dino Montiel.
Known for his tough, urban dramas like A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and Son of No One, Montiel doesn’t seem like the obvious choice to helm such a project, but it’s worth noting that the happy-go-lucky Wilder we saw on the big screen had his fair share of tragedy behind the scenes. Notably, his wife, Gilda Radner, tragically died from ovarian cancer despite what was always considered one of the happiest marriages in Hollywood. He also had a difficult relationship with frequent on-screen partner Richard Pryor, who suffered from agonizing drug addiction and almost died shortly after they made their biggest hit together, Stir Crazy, although they became closer in later years.
Wilder himself documented all of this in his excellent autobiography, Kiss Me Like a Stranger, and if the part is well cast, it could make for a terrific, moving film. Now, to state the obvious, there just so happens to be a perfect actor out there to play the role, and that’s The Bear star Jeremy Allen White. While he may be wary of biopics following his Springsteen movie, I’m not the only one to note the resemblance. To me, it’s no-brainer casting, but I digress. Actually, if he didn’t want to do it, his co-star Ebon Moss-Bachrach wouldn’t be a bad choice either if they got the hair right. He has the right energy.
Montiel is penning the script himself with Jeremy Roth (Love, Victor and How I Met Your Father), and said the following to Deadline about the project:
“Gene Wilder was one of those rare people who was somehow funnier and sadder than everyone else in the room at the same time. That’s not a character. That’s a life… I couldn’t say no to that.”
Wilder passed away in 2016 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, but left behind a massive legacy, which was celebrated in a recent documentary about his life that featured an in-depth interview with Mel Brooks, who directed him in three classics: The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein.
Who do you think should play Wilder? Let us know in the comments.