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Ernest Hemingway Biopic in Early Development

by Brandon Lee Tenney
February 3, 2009

Ernest Hemingway, the famous Pulitzer-winning and Nobel Prize-winning novelist, journalist, veteran of three separate wars, infamous womanizer, drinker, and hunter of big game, is about to have his turbulent life brought to the silver screen. The Hollywood Reporter reports that producer Kevin Fortuna (The Talent Given Us) and The Gotham Group have optioned the film rights to A.E. Hotchner's best-selling biography "Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir". No writer or director has been announced for this project just yet, although it's likely that Hotchner himself could adapt his own novel as he did previously.

Hotchner, who wrote the 1962 film Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man based on some of the author's stories only a year after Hemingway shot himself to death, was a close friend of Hemingway's during his later life. The biography itself delves into the final 14 years of Hemingway's life. Hotchner's book revealed that the writer had committed suicide, so the film should prove a faithful account. "It is rare that we have such intimate, truthful knowledge about the life and, ultimately, demise of a true American icon," Hotchner said. The real question is who will be cast to play the larger-than-life Hemingway?

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Conrad

Richard Attenborough could pull it off if he got his acting chops up to speed.
Creighton

Anthony Hopkins. Attenborough is too prissy. Hell, given how he's aged, Robert DeNiro might be a good fit.
Johan

I remember reading somewhere that James Gandolfini has been related to this project many years ago. I don't know what is the situation at the moment.
Mike

Nick Nolte or Bill Murray would be a good fit. Richard Attenborough is close to 85 years old though!!!
andrew

You all forget, Hemingway was once a young man. and as a young man he was extremely active; a hunter, fisherman, pilot, boxer, matador, and writer. I think a better fit would be a younger actor who could use make up to play the older, tragic Hemingway. I think actors like James Franco, Jeremy Piven, or even Sam Worthington could play Hemingway
http://sadness.blogspot.com Buttons

This is going to be a very interesting film.
cre2done

This is a terrible idea. There are some things and people that shouldn't be depicted in film. He is one of them.
Creighton

Worthington. Franco's too young and Piven's too Piven. The memior is centered around the last 14 years of his life, right? That's why I suggested someone older. But I'm it delves into stories from the past. Actually, Jeffrey Dean Morgan looks a lot like him. I think he may have the look and be at an age where he could play Hemingway as young, middle-aged and older.
http://movies.iconocritic.com/ peloquin

I Agree with #2, Hopkins would be perfect.
andrew

I thought it was only about the last 14 years of his life too, but the book synopsis on amazon makes it seem like a large portion of the story takes place in the past, particularly when the two men met. Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be a good choice, he has the right talent, build, and presence to play Hemingway.