Jake Scott casts his lead for Jeff Buckley biopic.
‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark’ lead Reeve Carney has closed a deal to play Jeff Buckley in an untitled biopic about the late musician.
The movie will chronicle the life of Buckley, one of the most critically acclaimed musical artists of his time, who died tragically at age 30 in a drowning accident in Memphis, Tennessee’s Wolf River.
Production is set to kick off in November with Jake Scott (‘Welcome to the Rileys’) directing from a screenplay by Ryan Jaffe.
On the casting of Carney, Scott said “We are excited to have found in Reeve the perfect combination of musical prodigy, impish charm, innate intelligence & sensitivity to play Jeff.”
The filmmakers hold a robust rights package that includes the exclusive rights to Buckley’s music and personal archives, and is fully supported by late singer’s mother, Mary Guibert, who serves as executive producer. “We are over the moon that Reeve has agreed to take on this challenging role. I’ve seen him perform several times…he’s been getting ready for this all his life. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he looks so much like Jeff,” said Guibert.
Scott’s upcoming biopic is just one of three projects based on the life of Buckley, there is the Dan Algrant-directed indie film entitled ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’ starring Penn Badgley (‘Gossip Girl’) as a pre-fame Jeff Buckley who reconnects with his estranged father Tim, and Brendan Fletcher’s ‘A Pure Drop.’