So it's pretty much common knowledge that a film chronicling the life and times of Playboy founder and Viagra enthusiast Hugh Hefner has been in the works for a long while now. While an announcement was made some time ago that scribe John Hoffman was set to tackle the script for director Brett Ratner (thing's got class written all over it), it now seems that a new writer is being courted to pen the screen play for the long gestating biopic. A writer who's name just screams "period piece about a smooth, urbane, swinging businessman who created the ultimate gentleman's periodical,"... Diablo Cody. Yes, you read that right. Straighten your ears and bow tie, and go ahead and hit the jump to read more.
Via his Twitter (loathe typing that), Hugh Hefner himself has reported that he has recently taken a meeting with producer, Brian Grazer and Cody to discuss the feature film based on Hefner's founding of the Playboy magazine in 1953. Not much is known beyond this, but I do remember rumors floating around a few years ago that mentioned the multi-talented and adamantium-laced Hugh Jackman to be one of the possible contenders for the lead roll. That would actually be pretty great casting if you look at some of the photos of younger Hefner. The film should also open up to some other interesting casting decisions; Who should play Barbi Benton? Or Marilyn Monroe?
This movie kinda seems like a no-brainer to me, a fun flick taking place from the late forties to 70's or 80's filled with a swinging, party atmosphere and brimming with beautiful women, centering on a man who has become an American icon. I'd probably pay 9 bucks to see it in a theater. Point being, this seems like an obvious film to get made, not so obvious though is the possibility of Diablo Cody writing the script. Really? Look, I haven't seen "United States of Tara", I hear it's decent, but what I have seen are "Juno" and "Jennifer's Body". I'm not one of those guys who hates "Juno", I think it's legitimately funny and heartfelt, and the acting and directing in it is superb. Didn't particularly like or dislike "Jennifer's Body", only felt that Adam Brody was the best part of the whole thing.
The point of all this musing is that these three properties have two things in common: Quirky females and Diablo Cody. And incredibly grating, precious, hipster dialogue, but I really don't think Cody is clueless enough to have Hugh Hefner getting a "mani" or chatting on a hamburger phone, so that's not the issue. I just fail to see how this idea sprang to the minds of the powers that be behind this flick. Who knows, though, maybe she had an amazing pitch and will write an amazing script for it. Keeping in mind this is just a Twitter post about a meeting, and not a formal announcement of any kind, it's still a bizarre and interesting idea.
