Quentin Tarantino to Play Roger Corman in ‘The Man With the Kaleidoscope Eyes,’ Blood Budget Suddenly Goes Up
Though rumors had been running for awhile now that Colin Firth would be stepping into the role of Roger Corman for Joe Dante’s biopic The Man With the Kaleidoscope Eyes, Corman decided to casually mention in a profile with the Telegraph that Quentin Tarantino would be portraying him instead. Like that’s not news that would rock our worlds or anything.
The mention of Tarantino is just a blip in the interview that also reveals that Corman will have a cameo in the film that chronicles the making of The Trip, his 1960’s film starring Jack Nicholson about LSD. Corman’s cameo, hilariously, will be the studio executive who didn’t want him to make the film. As “The King of the Bs,” Corman has had insurmountable influence on countless filmmakers and actors who worshiped his lo-fi masterpieces like The Little Shop of Horrors, Swamp Women, and Attack of the Crab Monsters.
Tarantino is definitely included in that influence list, and this touching tribute (below) from the 2009 Governors Awards has him giving a gushing speech about his hero, and now isn’t it sweet that he’ll get to play him on the big screen? The question is ‐ why Tarantino?
Based on Tarantino’s previous acting choices, he generally plays an oddball version of himself or a wacky rapist version of himself, so I’m curious to see what he turned out at the auditions that screamed “that’s our Roger Corman, not Colin Firth.” However, Dante’s biopic is said to have a comedic edge, so there’s always room for some of that Tarantino strangeness to seep through. I’m sure he’s at least a little disappointed that he doesn’t get to kill himself off in a gruesome fashion, though.
The project is still in its very early stages, so no word on other casting. Someone interview Corman again and get that information out of him. [via BleedingCool]
Related Topics: Quentin Tarantino
