Oren Moverman has taken to MTV to discuss the prospects of his Kurt Cobain biopic which is being developed over at Universal. “The Messenger” director confirms he’s in talks to take over but reaffirms that they’re still only in negotiations.
“Yeah, that thing was a little premature,” Moverman admits to MTV. “There is a script from David Benioff that is about Kurt Cobain and I’m in negotiations to polish it and then direct it, but it’s not a done deal deal yet. It’s in the works and hopefully it will work out.”
No need to worry but, the original report only stated that Moverman was in talks, so it’s all just a part of the process.
“That book has a lot of information so yeah, it’s definitely a great resource. But a lot of [the script] is also based on David Benioff’s research and creative flourishes. To tell you the truth, it’s so early in the process, it would be not right for me to try to guess what the film will be before I start to actually attack it, before I’m officially on it [but] I do have some ideas, absolutely.”
The film reportedly covers the last two days of Cobain’s life leading all the way up to his suicide (a period covered enigmatically in Gus Van Sant’s “Last Days”) but, with Courtney Love installed as an executive producer, the film’s accuracy may ultimately come into question. Moverman’s involvement though is definitely a sign of Universal’s ambition and proves to be an intriguing prospect.
While we’re at it, how about intense character actor Ben Foster reuniting with Moverman to play the grunge-icon? The two definitely have a working relationship developing already re-teaming for an omnibus project so it’s a real possibility. Foster consistently shows flashes of brilliance in his filmography of mostly mediocre but well-ranged films, but his performance in “The Messenger” was every bit as worthy of awards season nominations as Woody Harrelson’s turn.
Could the tortured artist that is Cobain potentially be Foster’s ticket to something more? Musical biopics are often pigeon-holed as tedious, formulaic affairs but we’ve seen with the likes of “I’m Not There,” “La Vie En Rose,” “Control” and “Walk The Line” that when they’re done well, they’re genuinely loved and rightfully recognized.