Dennis Van Tine/LFI/ZUMApress.com; George Pimentel/Getty Images; Michael Buckner/WireImage.com; Theo Wargo/wireImage.comIt was only last Thursday that we thought Lonely Boy Penn Badgley was a shoo-in for the role of Jeff Buckley in the new biopic. Robert Pattinson was "devastated" by the rejection, and Penn was set to escape the going, going, gone Gossip Girl.
Well, as we now know, the intrepid L.A. Times busted that one right up, thank heavens. Looks like poor Penn is still cooped up in the Upper East Side.
And Pattz? Can he snag the role he so desperately wanted?
Doubt it.
Producers say they're looking for an unknown—like, the total opposite of Robert Pattinson—so his own celebrity won't get in the way of portraying Buckley. Too bad, ‘cause Buckley was a hugely talented, brooding, hard-living beauty who drowned in Tennessee's Wolf River Harbor in 1997. Think Rob would know pretty well how to tie that one on—with aplomb.
But the film's coproducer, Orian Williams, did verify to the L.A. Times that he likes R.P.'s work and had spoken to the tween heartthrob about possibly auditioning for the flick.
Wait, now we're confused.
So maybe? Probably not? It's just that they'd have to solve the teensy problem of Rob currently being the biggest thing in Hollywood.
As for Lonely Boy, he ain't quite got the fame problem like Rob (whose reps aren't commenting to us), but he also ain't got any connections!
"Penn isn't involved in the film at all," Williams told the Times. Oops.
Also, the whole "unknown" thing makes the Buckley guessing game a bit dull, and anyway, looks like James Franco, Jared Leto and James Marsden are up for the role, which is pretty good news, actually, because that reveals the producers could quite possibly be BSing when they say they want an "unknown," as all these dudes have quite sizable followings.
Only other thing we have to say is, James Franco would shut it down! Hallelujah.
Who do y'all think should play the sexy singer-songwriter?