James Dean

Name: James Dean
Genre: Drama, TV Movie
Released: 2001-08-04
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Rating: 7.3
Cast: James Franco, Michael Moriarty, Valentina Cervi, Enrico Colantoni, Edward Herrmann

The stars that burn brightest burn quickest

James Dean (2001)

Timing: 1:36 (96 min)

7.3/10
10 102

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no scores

6.8/10
115

7.1/10
6000

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Everything about the movie

Video 1

Photo 11

Actors and characters

Video for the film James Dean — Official Trailer: James Dean (2001)

2:22

Photo 11

Release date

2001-08-04

Country

United States

Production

Gerber Pictures, Marvin Worth Productions, Five Mile River Films, Splendid Television

Genre

Drama, TV Movie

Budget

Box office

Website

Director

Mark Rydell

Actors

James Franco, Michael Moriarty, Valentina Cervi, Enrico Colantoni, Edward Herrmann, Joanne Linville, John Pleshette, Barry Primus, David Proval, Samuel Gould
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

George W. Perkins, Mark Rydell, Bill Gerber, Marvin Worth

Camera operator

Robbie Greenberg

Composer

John Frizzell

Artist

Audition

Nancy Foy

Editing

Antony Gibbs
Whole Team (19)

Short description

The man behind the legend and a knowing look at 1950s Hollywood are revealed in this dynamic biopic of the meteoric star whose troubled life echoed his gut-grabbing performances in East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant.

What's left behind the scenes

Rydell began the actor search in late March 2000, trying to select actors who best fit the main role. Casting took place in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Chicago, and cities in the Midwest. Casting director Nancy Foy noted that she paid attention to everyone – “both experienced actors slightly over 20 and raw talents.” About 500 actors auditioned for the role, and James Franco finally landed it in May 2000. Franco approached the role with the fear that he would only be associated with working on this project.
Michael Mann signed a contract in September 1993 and was to direct the film, with shooting scheduled to begin in May 1994. Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp were the main candidates for the role – both actors were interested in the offer. However, Mann wanted to cast Leonardo DiCaprio, as he believed the actor was the best candidate. Gary Oldman was considered for a supporting role. In March 1994, Mann dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts with the film "Heat" (1995). Furthermore, Mann felt that DiCaprio was too young for the role and wanted to wait another year.
Franco spent a great deal of time studying Dean's personality. He started smoking two packs of cigarettes a day but quit the habit after working on the project. He learned to ride a motorcycle and play the guitar, congas, and bongos; he studied Dean's acting style by rewatching all three of his films—'Rebel Without a Cause', 'East of Eden', and 'Giant'; he read several biographies; and he spoke with Dean's close friends—Martin Landau, Dennis Hopper, Liz Sheridan (Dean's former girlfriend), and Leonard Rosenman. 'I got the most information from Martin. He helped me convey Dean's habits. During filming, I spent a lot of time alone, as I feel that is the state Dean was in for most of his life, and I wanted to feel that. The lack of communication with family and loved ones affected me deeply.'
After Mann left the project, he was replaced by Des McAnuff, and the start of filming was moved to December 1994. Soon after, McAnuff declined to direct the film, and his place was taken by Dennis Hopper, a close friend of Dean and his co-star in 'Rebel Without a Cause'. He met with DiCaprio to discuss the role, but ultimately Hopper also left the project. By May 1995, DiCaprio was still the leading candidate for the role, and Milcho Manchevski was being considered as director.
After all the setbacks, producer Bill Gerber of Warner Bros. decided it would be better to change the format of the film – it would be a television film, shot for broadcast on Turner Network Television (TNT), which, along with Warner Bros., was owned by Time Warner. Gerber commented on the decision as follows: "The studio is unlikely to find big names for $20 million. We also encountered a number of marketing problems. He crashed in 1955 – we know what the outcome will be. James Dean is not that popular with modern audiences." James Franco received the lead role, and filming began in June 2000 – it took place in the vicinity of Los Angeles and at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
One of the working titles of the film was "James Dean: An Invented Life" (English: James Dean: An Invented Life).
After Mann left the project, he was replaced by Des McAnuff, and the start of filming was postponed to December 1994. He soon declined to direct the film, and was replaced by Dennis Hopper, a close friend of Dean and a colleague from the film "Rebel Without a Cause." He met with DiCaprio to discuss the role, but Hopper also eventually left the project. By May 1995, DiCaprio was still the leading candidate for the role, and Milčo Mančevski was being considered as director.
Franco devoted a lot of time to studying Dean’s personality. He started smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, but quit this harmful habit after working on the project. He learned to ride a motorcycle, play the guitar, congas, and bongos; studied his acting manner by rewatching all three of his films – “Rebel Without a Cause,” “East of Eden,” and “Giant”; read several biographical books; and spoke with Dean’s close friends – Martin Landau, Dennis Hopper, Liz Sheridan (Dean’s ex-girlfriend), and Leonard Rosenman. “I got the most information from Martin. He helped me convey Dean’s habits. During filming, I spent a lot of time alone, as it seems to me that this was the state Dean was in for most of his life, and I wanted to feel it. The lack of communication with family and loved ones greatly affected me.”
Michael Mann signed a contract in September 1993 and was set to direct the film, with filming planned to begin in May 1994. The leading candidates for the role were Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp, both of whom were interested in the offer. However, Mann wanted to cast Leonardo DiCaprio, as he believed the actor was the best candidate. Gary Oldman was considered for a supporting role. In March 1994, Mann left the project due to scheduling conflicts with the film 'Heat' (1995). Additionally, Mann felt that DiCaprio was too young for the role and wanted to wait another year.
After negotiations with Manchevski failed, Marc Rydell was hired as director in February 1996. Rydell was one of Dean's close friends—they both studied at the Actors Studio in New York in the early 1950s. DiCaprio left the project after requesting too high a fee following the success of 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996) and 'Titanic' (1997). Meanwhile, Rydell began rewriting the script with Horowitz, and Warner Bros. intended to start filming as soon as possible. Shortly after Rydell joined the project, Steven Dorff's candidacy for the role of James Dean began to be discussed. Ethan Hawke turned down the role.
Rydell began searching for actors in late March 2000, attempting to select those best suited for the lead role. Casting took place in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Chicago, and cities across the Midwest. Casting director Nancy Foy noted that she looked at everyone—'from experienced actors in their early 20s to raw newcomers.' About 500 actors auditioned, and James Franco finally got the role in May 2000. Franco approached the role with caution, fearing he would be associated only with this project.
After all these setbacks, producer Bill Gerber of Warner Bros. decided it would be better to change the film's format to a television movie produced for Turner Network Television (TNT), which was owned by Time Warner along with Warner Bros. Gerber commented on the decision: 'It's unlikely the studio can find big names for 20 million dollars. We also faced a number of marketing problems. He crashed in 1955—we know how it ends. James Dean is not that popular with modern audiences.' James Franco landed the lead role, and filming began in June 2000, taking place in the Los Angeles area and at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
After negotiations with Mančevski failed, Mark Rydell was hired as director in February 1996. Rydell was one of Dean’s close friends – they both studied at the Actors Studio in New York in the early 1950s. DiCaprio left the project when he asked for a very high fee after the success of the films "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) and "Titanic" (1997). Meanwhile, Rydell began rewriting the script with Horowitz, and Warner Bros. was planning to start filming as soon as possible. Shortly after Rydell joined the project, Steven Dorff’s candidacy for the role of James Dean was discussed. Ethan Hawke turned down the role.