For at least a decade, Brett Ratner has been trying to put together a movie about his pal Hugh Hefner. The late founder of Playboy certainly lived a fascinating life, and while he was perhaps largely known for the skin mag that he popularized, but also celebrated for his civil rights work (the documentary “Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel” does a good job at showing the many sides the bathrobe enthusiast). Well, Ratner hasn’t wasted a moment. With this pal still fresh in the ground, the biopic wheels are spinning again.
Jared Leto has signed up to play Hugh Hefner in the long developing movie, that at one time had the simple title, “Playboy.” Back in the day, Hef wanted Robert Downey Jr. to play him, but that never panned out, and so here we are. However, there could be a rival project in the wings. In 2012, Hefner revealed he had met with acclaimed screenwriter Peter Morgan (“The Queen,” “The Crown,” “Frost/Nixon“) and talked working on a movie about his life. No word on how far along that got, but Hollywood always likes to strike quickly on these things when the opportunity is ripe. So perhaps it could be revived if it stalled out.
Hefner has been portrayed fictionally numerous times over the years, perhaps most notably by James Franco in “Lovelace,” and has been the subject of a handful of documentaries. Even more, this is still plenty of discussion about defining his legacy, and questions about just how progressive someone who traded in nudie pics can claim to be. At any rate, Ratner is going to weigh in on the subject with Leto as his leading man. [THR]
