Say Good Evening to an Alfred Hitchcock Biopic From Sacha Gervasi
Psycho was a major change in the way movies are viewed by filmmakers, audiences and studios. Overstating its role in movie history is incredibly difficult because of how influential it was and how it hit at the exact moment to join a tide of evolutionary ideas in the world of movies.
Enter the long-gestating project of filming “Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of ‘Psycho.’ An iconic director at a turning point. It’s a great idea, and it needs a great director.
I was fortunate enough to get to speak with director Sacha Gervasi during the press boost for Anvil!: The Story of Anvil. When I did, he was flying his way around twisting canyon roads while balancing a phone and effortlessly explaining his raw passion for the band Anvil and for the story he was telling.
That’s exactly the man to take a small part of Hitchcock’s career and turn it into gold. Luckily, according to the LA Times, Gervasi is circling the project (probably while balancing a phone and screaming about his passions).
The big question: who do you cast as Hitch?
The LA Times piece mentions randomly that Anthony Hopkins might be somehow attached, but it was unclear in what capacity. He may be interested as a producer or as the man to play Hitch. That, I think, would be a mistake. Hopkins has shown mostly bluster in his acting for the past decade, and Hitch requires a calmer presence.
Out of left field, when it comes to strong talent and lookalikeness meeting in the middle somewhere, the name that popped into my head was James Gandolfini. Strange? I know. Hear me out.
Hitch was 60 when he shot Psycho, and Gandolfini hasn’t broken 50 yet, so he’d have to be aged up just a bit. Still, the resemblance is striking.
The actor is also known for playing loud, red-faced parts, but he’s shown a softer, more vulnerable side in his voice work for Where the Wild Things Are and in Welcome to the Rileys. It’s a role that he can absolutely do that no one will probably let him do.
The latest draft of the script was written by Black Swan co-writer John McLaughlin (who also wrote Man of the House), but it’s unclear what will happen with the screenplay if Gervasi signs on.
What do you think?
Related Topics: Alfred Hitchcock, Biopics
