Chris Evans is in talks to play Gene Kelly in an untitled film based on an original idea conceived by the former “Captain America” star.
The story follows a 12-year-old boy who works on the MGM Lot in the early 1950s and begins to create an imagined friendship with the legendary movie star while working on his next film.
The time setting is interesting. Kelly at the time had just come off the success of multiple musicals from “An American in Paris,” “On the Town” and “Summer Stock” and that year saw the release of the iconic “Singin’ in the Rain”.
However in December 1951 he signed a contract with MGM that sent him to Europe for 19 months to shoot three movies, including a pet project that later bombed, and in retrospect, the deal was seen as a mistake on Kelly’s part. Whether this will be set before or after Kelly’s overseas stint isn’t clear.
No studio is attached at this point. Evans, Mark Kassen and Rian Johnson’s and Ram Bergman’s T-Street Productions will produce while John Logan will pen the script and produce.
Source: Deadline
