Depp, Clooney and DiCaprio Battling For Sinatra Role
Oct 27, 2009 by Ross MillerBack in May of this year we reported on the fact that Martin Scorsese was going to be taking on the legendary figure of Frank …
Back in May of this year we reported on the fact that Martin Scorsese was going to be taking on the legendary figure of Frank Sinatra in a biopic about the singer, simply titled Sinatra. Along with that news came word that a couple of actors were lined up to play the titular man, in the form of Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Depp was reportedly the studio’s first choice for the role, while DiCaprio’s name was being thrown around as a possibility more than anything, particularly because he’s lead many of Scorsese’s movies over the past few years (The Aviator, The Departed, Gangs of New York).
However, we get news today – thanks to The Guardian (via Cinemablend) that DiCaprio may be more in the running to play Sinatra than we first thought, along with the already-mentioned Depp (who I guess is seriously being looked at since his name is still attached, as opposed to the studio just throwing his name in there to attract attention to the project) and we now learn that George Clooney is being looked at as well. Hmmm – three of Hollywood’s biggest names battling it out to play one of the entertainment industry’s biggest names. If any upcoming role is is going to attract this much interest, it’s playing Sinatra…
As far as who’s most likely to GET the role, it’s still up in the air since each actor has strong backers in their corner: Universal, as previously reported, is pushing for Depp to play the role, after being impressed by his portrayal of John Dillinger in Public Enemies; Sinatra’s daughter, Tina (who will serve as exec producer on the biopic), has her eye on Clooney to portray her late father; and, inevitably, Scorsese wants DiCaprio, who he recently worked with on Shutter Island after a string of many other collaborations.
Tina Sinatra being involved in the film – after giving permission for Universal to use her father’s actual singing voice, amongst other things – led to speculation that the biopic wouldn’t shed any sort of negative light on her late father. But a quote sourced by The New York Post says that she’s worried Scorsese will give her father the same unflinching treatment he gave boxer Jake La Motta in Raging Bull. Scorsese apparently wants it to be, “hard-hitting and [to] showcase the violent, sexually charged, hard-drinking Frank,” while Tina wants, “to show the softer side of her dad and let the focus be on the music.”
Personally, I’d like to see an equal combination of both. If this is to be a truthful biopic about one of music’s all-time greats, then doesn’t it have to include the bad as well as the good? If you just include the good then you’re masking the fact that the man’s life wasn’t all roses. I’m not saying Scorsese should dwell on the negative, losing sight of the music, (which was and still is loved by millions). But at the same time the bad stuff shouldn’t be omitted, IMO.
As far as who should play Sinatra… of the three names being thrown around… as cliched as it may sound, I’d choose DiCaprio. I know from the comments here at Screen Rant that some people just don’t like him, but personally I can’t see why. Save for a couple of instances, he always delivers the goods, often giving downright excellent performances (Catch Me If You Can springs to mind). Depp (who has proven he can play just about anything) and Clooney (who has the charisma and charm necessary) are fine choices too, but of the three DiCaprio sticks out to me as a much better fit.
As far as doing Sinatra’s voice justice, whoever plays him need not worry about that – any music/singing will come from Sinatra’s own recordings. A load off the three named actors’ minds, I’ll bet…
What do you think of the three actors being looked at to play Sinatra? Which of the three would you choose to play him? And do you think the biopic should show the good as well as the bad from Frank’s life?
There’s no release date been set for Sinatra as of yet, but Scorsese is said to be moving onto it next year after he finishes with Shutter Island.
Sources: The Guardian via Cinemablend
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now that sounds like a dam good movie, big fan of scorsese one of the last great film makers of the world. i choose leo as well he is an amazing actor i say 99.9% of his performences are astounding. catch me if u can of course, titanic cough cough, revolutionary road, the island, i can go on forever with this guy.
i think Leo would be the best pic out of the three also.
Depp and Dicaprio bring an intensity, the devil may care attitude, plenty of talent, and the slight build of Sinatra to the table. But of the three, only Clooney has that reminiscent quiet cool, that effortless sauve that WAS Sinatra. Slip in the blue contacts, let him shed a little weight and let him study the music and shout along A La O Brother Where Art Thou and this is the man.
Dicaprio all the way on this one..Clooney shoudl not even be considered and Depp is an idiot
My first pick would have been Depp, because he’s the only one of the three that’s shown any ability to sing (whether you liked or hated Sweeney Todd, Depp could still belt it out), but with this news that they’re using Sinatra’s own recordings, I’d lean more towards Clooney.
Like huntthejest says, Clooney just has that cool, suave Sinatra feel to him.
And I honestly think using Sinatra’s own recordings is the wrong way to go. For starters, they’re all going to be less than optimal quality, since they’re so old, and secondly, whoever they get to play Sinatra isn’t going to actually sound like him. Take Walk the Line, for instance. Joaquin Phoenix doesn’t sound that much like Johnny Cash, but your suspension of disbelief isn’t broken when they start playing a Cash song, since Phoenix is the one performing it.
But I don’t know why we’re even debating this when we all know DiCaprio’s getting the part. Not that that’s a bad thing.
Depp all the way.
I hold a big grudge against Clooney for Batman. I know it wasnt his fault and it shouldn’t matter but…well I guess I’m immature like that.
Dicaprio, um I’d rather not see him even though he has the closest likeness to sinatra I mean hell he’s got blue eyes and Depp just doesn’t.
Like Josh Rose said it’s most likely going to be Dicaprio.
I personally prefer the hard hitting version that Scorsese wants mixed in with the soft side but not exactly balanced… I would say 60/40 favoring Scorsese. With whom should play Sinatra, i’ll just leave it up to them… I’m sure that with the right amount of motivation (about 8 figures of it) either one of them could do a very good job.
Maybe I’m just a huge Johnny Depp fan, but I think he’d be the best pick. Clooney is probably
more similar to Sinatra, but what’s the fun of that? It would be more of a challenge for Depp and honestly he’s a better actor than the other two in my opinion. Basically I think picking Clooney would be playing it safe, and Scorsese needs to work with new people. He needs to work with actors besides Leonardo DiCaprio and Depp needs to work with directors other than Tim Burton. They should take everyone out of their comfort zones and see what happens with it.
Or….. Who says all 3 can’t do it?? Start with Leo, then later on in his life cut to Depp, and then go to Clooney. Sounds fine to me. There’s more than 1 side to every person, and a collab between those 3 plus Scorsese would be an interesting sight.
Also they need to include the good and the bad to make it more realistic and honest.
Bottom line I think Depp shouldand will get it because it sounds like he’s who the studio wants and they’ll probably get the final say on it.
I say John Cena because I can care less about Frank Sinatra.
I don’t think any of the three mentioned above could play Sinatra …. the only one who could do justice to Sinatra is Robert Downey Jr. Downey looks more like Sinatra, could become Sinatra far more than any of the above. Besides, Downey could actually sing like Sinatra. I have hoped, for years, that Robert would be chosen to play this role…I wonder why he is not being considered. Of course, he just might be too busy at this point.
Oh, boy … this is a tough one, because all of the actors — DiCaprio, Clooney and Depp — would bring quite a bit to the table.
But… if I were a studio exec, I’d want an actor who could do the role of Sinatra justice, as well as make both the good and bad parts of his life interesting and compelling to watch.
Having said that, I’d like to see Johnny Depp as Sinatra, primarily because teaming him up with Scorsese would be a bold, risky move which could pay off quite well, as twistedburton pointed out.
Leo as Frank
Depp as Peter Lawford
Clooney as Dean Martin
Jerry Mathers as the Beaver
@twistedburton
i think if they did the the whole having all three play sinatra it would look to much like the “Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasus” movie and/or the Bob dylan one as well.
@ken j
hopefully you slip on a banana peel for that one…lol.
@Lord Garth
Nice choice… Also good pick on that other sinatra thread where you went into more detail. P.s… Only beavers in the movie should be the ones worshipping the “Rat Pack”.
Personally i think Clooney is made for Dean Martin. I agree it would be pointless to just gloss over the darker elements of Sinatra’s life, but i think if large segments are of a young sinatra then i think DiCaprio would be a decent choice. I think Billy Bob Thornton is a real outside bet for Sinatra, as he has (imo) all the physical characteristics but is isn’t the type of actor this pic seems to be attracting. However i’m sure Scorsese will make the right choice once production starts.
I think who they decide to play Sinatra will depend on what time period they want to convey. Clooney does have the charisma, but is too old to play a young Frank. Depp definitely has the vocal chops and could easily play a mid-career Frank. Leo, on the other hand, is young enough to pull off the early years and can be aged to pull of the later ones.
I agree they should let the actors do some of the vocals, like “Walk the Line”. It definitely added another dimension to the portrayal.
Congrats to Lord Garth for the most amazing casting I’ve seen on a board in years. Dead on. Clooney as Deano would be perfect, Depp as Lawford, alright. Only problem is, that leaves Leo as Sinatra, which I don’t think really suits him. But as he has surprised me numerous times before, I’d be willing to let him do it again. As long as he errs on the side of Departed, and not Titanic(hated virtually the entire film).
@Jago
I’m surprised you’re the first person to say something about that, lol. I don’t care about the “rat pack” or whatever, any of them, but I know a lot of people do like them…
@ Lord Garth, Formerly of Izar
SO who plays Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop?
Well… how about James Marsden or Harry Connick Jr. as Sinatra?
Both of them have the vocal chops to sing Sinatra’s songs, and they have the screen presence to pull it off.
I am so glad that they’re making a movie about Sinatra- he lived with such an unique take on life and lived it well. I am also extremely pleased with Scorsese directing- the man is brilliant, Goodfellas is one of my favorites.
As for who’s to play Ol’ Blue Eyes… hmm. I absolutely adore DiCaprio and Depp, I think they’re both beautiful men and talented actors, but I’d have to go with Depp on this one. He has more subtle charm and ability to portray cool and boiling emotion at the same time. Also, he is musical himself, and works incredibly hard to stay true to real-life people he is portraying, not just people’s idea of the character. Leo would be great also, but I think Johnny possesses more of the qualities and versatility needed for the role- just put him in some decent contact lenses. Clooney is a good actor, but I just don’t see him as Sinatra. He has the charisma, but I’m not sure if he’s a good choice.
@ken j
lol… of course i had to say something… john cena is too much of a low blow.
@jago
Fine, fine, what about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for the role?
@ken j
lol… why big guys? sinatra was big in personality not physically… but what the hell if he could pull it off i’d watch it. I just saw a 2 hour movie with a dude that looked like a female version of mickey mouse (don’t want to say minnie mouse becuase he’s still a guy) sing like michael jackson so if he could pull it off why not.
@jago
Because a really muscular Sinatra would be hilarious…
Ok, fine, no really big ripped guys. How about Jet Li for the role…
Come on, can’t you see it? It can be “inspired” by the true story of Sinatra, but just mix in some random fights like someone jumps on the stage while he’s performing and he just punches them out, then does the pile driver on someone else…
i don’t think jet li does piledrivers… rock and cena yes. It would be funny but the rock i think can actually sing a little. Well at least better then cena and li. As long as it comes out before doomsday in 2012 i’ll be happy
@jago
Oops, I was still talking about The Rock and John Cena, a big huge muscular Sinatra with the hat, doing pile-drivers while singing, man that would be so awesome…
@ken j
Doing piledrivers while singing… that does sound gnarly. Even more so if they have a drink and pull a deano(not spill it whilst taking down the mobsters they’re pile driving). But now were going to date movie and scary movie territory and i don’t see that in a movie about frank. Maybe this could fit in “The Sinatra Club” since it seems like theres more action in that movie then there is in this one.
@jago
LOL, I think if they tried to make a movie like that the Sinatra family would sue the crap out of the studio, haha.