Russell Crowe will be in the director’s chair for a movie focusing on comedian Bill Hicks, reports the New Zealand Herald.
Crowe will be directing Love, Laughter, Truth – a biopic of Hicks’ life. He’ll be joined by old schoolmate Mark Saufer – who once played in one of Crowe’s bands during his teenage years.
Staufer began working on the screenplay for the film about three years ago, spending large periods of the time travelling in the United States visiting clubs Hicks played at, and speaking with Hicks’ family and ex-girlfriends.
Staufer told NZ Herald that auditions for the main role hadn’t begun as yet – and they were looking for an ‘extraordinary actor’.
“They can’t be older than 35, can’t be younger than 30 and have to have some kind of resemblance to Bill Hicks. Oh, and they have to be an extraordinary actor.
“It’s such a huge role and with Russell [Crowe] directing, who is an amazing actor himself, and this is his directorial debut so a lot of people have a lot of things to prove with the film…”
It is believed Crowe was going to play the lead role of Hicks; however, he’s currently busy filming Biblical epic Noah in Iceland, and is considered to be too old for the role.
Bill Hicks – a stand-up comedian and cult figure – died of pancreatic cancer in 1994, age 32.
