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Updates From Steven Soderbergh on His Liberace Biopic

by Alex Billington
May 28, 2009
Source: ScreenCrave

I don't expect many of you out there to care about this, but since I'm a big Steven Soderbergh fan, I'm always looking forward to what he's got coming up next. As for Soderbergh's current line-up: The Girlfriend Experience is now playing in theaters, The Informant is due out in October, and he'll start shooting Moneyball later this year. Soderbergh tells Salon that after that, though, will be Liberace, his biopic about the gay pianist Liberace. It was first announced last year that Michael Douglas would star and Matt Damon would play Scott Thorson, the man who sued Liberace in 1982. A few more updates on this below.

Our good friends at ScreenCrave caught up with Soderbergh recently (an opportunity I missed because I was in Cannes) and got a few minor updates out of him about Liberace, for those who may be interested.

"We're trying to get this Liberace movie off the ground, and we've got Michael Douglas playing Liberace and Matt Damon playing this young man that he gets involved with. And, Richard LaGravenese wrote the script."

"That's not a situation where I'm going to be sitting around improvising. It's already there. But, the goal of that movie is very different because of what it's about and the period that it's set in. It's set in the entertainment business and it needs to have a different vibe. And so, a more obvious construct is fine, in that world, but in the world of Bubble or Girlfriend Experience, I felt like it has to feel more organic."

Soderbergh was specifically referencing how Liberace will be different in style and structure than The Girlfriend Experience, which was a very low budget film. The story is that Scott Thorson sued Liberace for $113 million in palimony, claiming he was the entertainer's companion for five years, even though Liberace said he was not gay. I'm interested in this less for the story and more for Soderbergh and Michael Douglas' involvement. I'm not the biggest fan of biopics in general nor do I know that much about Liberace, but I'm curious to see if Soderbergh can put together a film that transcends just being a biopic about a gay man.

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http://digaphobia.com Mark

I almost always love Soderbergh and LaGravenese wrote The Fisher King (!!!!!!!!), but I can't see Michael Douglas playing anyone other than... Well, Michael Douglas. But I'm always ready to be surprised.
Richard Choffe

I keep imagining a shirtless mattadore/Scott poolside by moonlight twirling a red silk shirt around his motorcycle-helmet-bull doing a mock ballet to Liberace playing Malaguena.
Richard Choffe

Im so tired and sick to death of reading clueless critiques of Liberace's music! For God's sake get it right! No, he was'nt perfect just closer musically to perfect than anybody. With high art classical compositions, he was exact and intact, reverently! With light classic's, jazz and pop, you name it, he did it all and did it all better than anybody! Whether fusing with another genre, or switching across to another genre, or extemporizing, or variations on a theme; Liberace is the rosetta stone of music!
Richard Choffe

Robin Williams as Seymour Heller, Liberace's manager ? YES ! YES ! ! YES ! ! ! DYNAMIGHTY Gary Sinise as George, Liberace's brother ? DELIRIOUSLY SERIOUS AS A HEART ATTACK ! ! ! ! ! Kathy Bates as Frances, Liberace's mother ? SOOOOOOOO INTENSELY INTERESTING ! ! ! ! ! Kirk Douglas as Salvatore, Liberace's father ? WHY THE HELL NOT? ! ! ! ! ! Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley ? I almost thought he was Elvis/ ! ! ! ! ! Matt Damon as Scott Thorson ? Matt could do "The Elton John Story",if he wanted ! ! ! ! Michael Douglas as Liberace ? Michael + all the above = ++++Oscars ! ! ! ! !