Marlon Brando is widely regarding as one of the greatest actors in the history of the medium, and now it seems he will get the biopic treatment.
THR broke the news earlier today, that late producer George Englund’s book The Way It’s Never Been Done Before has been optioned by Brian Oliver’s New Republic Pictures for a docudrama on the legendary actor, who is often considered a pioneer of method acting and the man who changed movie performances forever.
Englund was a friend, a fan, and a frequent collaborator with Marlon Brando. He directed Brando in 1963’s The Ugly American, and while his memoir does laud the impact and talents of Brando, it also shows the darker, more paranoid, more complicated world of the eight-time Oscar nominee (he won Best Actor for On the Waterfront and The Godfather).
George Englund and Marlon Brando remained friends, as close a friends as anyone could be with the notoriously difficult actor, so the details in his book should make for a rich backstory. Let’s hope the film adaptation doesn’t take the traditional (boring) biopic route, though that seems almost impossible to do given the man’s complicated existence.
There’s no news regarding the cast or potential director – finding someone who looks the part should be a major uphill battle – so stay tuned for more updates.
