Brandon Flynn cast as James Dean in new film exploring iconic actor's alleged gay romance
– 2 min read
Brandon Flynn, best known for his role as Justin Foley in 13 Reasons Why, has been cast as James Dean in a bold new biopic, Willie & Jimmy Dean, which will explore the actor’s alleged gay romance.
Unlike traditional biopics, this film won’t follow Dean’s life from beginning to end. Instead, it will focus on his intimate and allegedly romantic relationship with writer William Bast, spanning from their first meeting at UCLA at age 19 to Dean’s tragic death in a car crash at 24.
The film is written and directed by Guy Guido (Madonna and the Breakfast Club) and is inspired by Bast’s 2006 memoir Surviving James Dean, which revealed the pair were secret lovers. Bast, who was also Dean’s first biographer, claimed they kept their relationship hidden to protect Dean’s career, though he hoped they might one day live openly together.
“This is not a traditional biopic,” Guido said. “It’s a tender and sometimes tragic story about two young men who found each other in a time and place where being seen - truly seen - came at a cost.”
Flynn, 31, expressed his excitement about the role, saying, “James Dean is like the known unknown. His short life left behind just three films, a mountain of photographs, and a cultural mythology we keep trying to decode. This script is a beautiful attempt at truthfully understanding who he really was - not just the icon, but the man.”
Casting is still underway for the role of William Bast and other key characters, including Bast’s glamorous single mother, Bernice. Guido began developing the project over a decade ago, having first spoken with Bast in 2011 before his death in 2015.
Dean’s brief but iconic film career included East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant. He remains the only actor to receive two posthumous Oscar nominations.
Flynn, who previously portrayed a young Marlon Brando in the off-Broadway play Kowalski, has already drawn praise from fans for his resemblance to Dean.
