When he left his gig at Gucci in 2004, Tom Ford declared that he wanted to go into the movie business. Most people just laughed and the dream seemed to die when Ford opened his eponymous design house.
Ford again fueled rumors last November, when he announced that he’d bought the rights to novelist Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, A Single Man, about a middle-aged gay professor.
Still, most people simply shrugged at the news, but now Ford seems closer to ever to achieving his big screen dreams, complete with A-list actors, says Marc Malkin:
Sources reveal exclusively to me that it looks like Colin Firth will star as a gay college professor who deals with the sudden death of his lover. The character is helped in his efforts by a lifelong female friend and one of his students.
Firth’s rep tells me “he’s in discussions” but it’s not a done deal.
Julianne Moore will play the friend while Jamie Bell has signed for the student role, my sources say. The story takes place in 1962 in Los Angeles.
The movie, which has yet to find a studio, will begin shooting in November.
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Charles Merrill
Good for him. It takes courage to gamble money on gay films. Would like to see his shirt buttoned up for the studio board meetings.
Paul Raposo
Wow! A gay themed film starring straight actors. Ford is a revolutionary!
Let’s see how badly Hollywood butchers this fine book.
michael
Fantastic! Ford’s best talents are that he is masterful at creating illusion, mystic, drama. He was an actor if I am not mistaken. And he has the money. I have heard it said that in order to get people to see us or any group for that matter, as human there has to be a face attached. If we want to tell, our stories, share our culture and be more understood by the masses then this is an important route. Unfortunately for now, the only way to lure people into the theaters to achieve this is by using actors that are already beloved, familiar, and have a fan base that would see almost anything they were in. There just are not a lot of gay actors that fit this bill. Who is he supposed to hire, Rupert Everett? That ole queen has been so down in the mouth and negative that not if gays want to watch him. I say be grateful that the process is moving forward and that hopefully there will be a day when gay actors can play top roles as well as straight
dizzyspins
Julianne Moore in a period movie? Im stunned!
Tyler
I’m thorougly excited about Colin Firth (BBC’s Pride and Prejudice anyone?) being in the film, but I’m still skeptical of the film being produced period. I think what made a lot of Isherwood’s Hollywood work great was the fact that he was alive to give it some direction, and was tangibly connected to it. I’m not sure what it’ll turn into when his work is taken out of his hands. I’ll hope for the best, but expect the worst.
Darth Paul
He’s so damn hot.
reversion
At least it doesn’t seem to be another coming out movie….
Mountain Queen
As much as I like Jamie Bell and think he’s qualified for the part…a new star is on the horizon and deserves a shot at this part: Jonathan B. Wright from the new Nick and Norah film…and late of Broadway. I’d like to see him tackle this part.
Clive
This is the second time that “A Single Man” is on the verge of being made into a film. The first time was way back in the 1980’s when James Ivory and Ismail Merchant were in talks with Isherwood for a film of the book. That one came to nothing. I hope Tom Ford has better luck. Although I can’t see Colin Firth as the misanthropic prof yet, I’m willing to be surprised!