Chris Evans may be stepping into some large, musical shoes as he is rumored to be playing Hollywood legend Gene Kelly in an upcoming untitled film. The project is reportedly based on an original idea from Evans.
While a studio has not been attached to this film yet, Evans is set to produce the film with John Logan, who will also be writing the script for it. In addition, Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, and Mark Kassen will also be producing the film through their company, T-Street Productions. This project will be the first reunion between Evans, Johnson, and Bergman since 2019’sKnives Out, whichcurrently has a sequel in the works, once again being directed by Johnson.
Logan is a three-time Oscar nominee whose screenwriting credits include Ridley Scott’sGladiator, Tim Burton’sSweeney Todd, Martin Scorsese’sThe Aviator&Hugo, and the James Bond film,Skyfall. He is also the creator behind the Showtime television seriesPenny Dreadful.
According toDeadline, the synopsis for the project, conceived initially by Evans, will follow “a 12-year-old boy who works on the MGM lot in 1952 and begins to create an imagined friendship with the legendary movie star Kelly while working on his next film.”
Kelly was a massive star in the early days of Hollywood. He was known mostly for his performances in Hollywood musicals, includingSingin’ in the RainandAn American in Paris, along with directingHello, Dolly!starring Barbra Streisand. In 1952, Kelly won an honorary Academy Award that recognized his versatility as an actor, singer, and dancer.
Evans, who is best known forhis role as Steve Rogers/Captain Americain the Marvel Cinematic Universe, certainly has a difficult task ahead if he does take this role. In addition to this possible flick, Evans is also starring inLightyear, the Pixar prequel film that will follow the adventures of theToy Storycharacter. He is also reuniting with the Russo brothers for Netflix’sThe Gray Man, which will also star Ryan Gosling as a former CIA operative who becomes a fugitive and is then chased down by his former colleague (Evans). Evans also had brief cameos in Adam McKay’sDon’t Look Upand Shawn Levy’sFree Guy.
There is no current timetable for this film as it doesn’t even have a working title yet, however, the project sounds promising. Hopefully, we will learn more about the project soon as it is developed further.
