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James Marsden has expressed his interest in depicting legendary singer Frank Sinatra in any potential biopics.
The 50-year-old Jury Duty and Hairspray star did not name any particular project, but said he has a dream of emulating “old crooners, like Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin”.
He told The New York Post: “I always thought there were so many interesting stories of Frank Sinatra’s life that could be played. And for whatever reason, you’ve never really seen a movie about him.”
“To do a biopic like what Jamie Foxx did with Ray Charles would be a lot of fun,” Marsden said. “I would love to. And you’re actually using your singing voice, as well.”
There has yet to be a blockbuster biopic made for Sinatra, despite a recent revival of the genre with Elvis (Elvis), Freddie Mercury (Bohemian Rhapsody), Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown) and Ray Charles (Ray).
Sinatra has been depicted on screen before: Ray Liotta played him in 1998’s The Rat Pack, James Russo played him in 2003’s Stealing Sinatra, Dennis Hopper played him in 2003’s The Night We Call It a Day and Robert Knepper depicted Sinatra in 2012’s My Way, about the life of French singer Claude François.
He added: “I just think there’s so many stories that could be told about [Sinatra] – some of the really tortured and darker stories, and some uplifting ones as well. What he did, what he accomplished. I’ve never really done a biopic about somebody.”
Fans have approved of Mardsen playing the iconic singer, with many agreeing online that he would be a great fit for the role due to his blue eyes and his impressive past singing performances.
“This could work…hold on,” wrote one fan on X/Twitter, as another said: “I think he’ll do a fantastic job of portraying Ol’ Blue Eyes.”
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Another added: “Considering he’s a surprisingly great singer, YES!!”
However, a biopic may already be in the works – with Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly tipped to play the “Somethin’ Stupid” singer in a rumoured Martin Scorcese film.
It was reported by Variety last year that Scorsese was planning on reviving his dormant Sinatra biopic, with DiCaprio in the lead role and Jennifer Lawrence playing Ava Gardner, Sinatra’s wife between 1951 and 1957.
Scorsese previously attempted to depict Sinatra’s life in a production announced in 2009. He said at the time that he would have involved several actors to play the lead roles at different periods during Sinatra’s life, naming Al Pacino as an older Sinatra and Robert De Niro as Sinatra’s friend and fellow Rat Packer Dean Martin.
“We can’t go through the greatest hits of Sinatra’s life,” Scorsese said. “We tried this already. Just can’t do it. So the other way to go is to have three or four different Sinatras. Younger. Older. Middle-aged. Very old. You cut back and forth in time – and you do it through the music.”
Scorcese said in 2017 had given up on the idea, telling the Toronto Sun that Sinatra’s rights holders “won’t agree to it”.
It’s unconfirmed whether Scorcese has been granted permission by Sinatra’s daughter Tina, who controls the rights to her father’s music and image.