A James Dean Biopic About His Gay College Romance Is In The Works

A James Dean biopic, written and directed by gay film producer Guy Guido, will explore the Hollywood legend’s long-rumoured gay romance…

A new feature film about James Dean and his gay college romance is on the way. Writer and director Guy Guido plans to film a biopic based on William Bast’s 2006 memoir, Surviving James Dean, about Bast’s relationship with the actor, after acquiring its rights, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the memoir, Bast, who died in 2015, recalled meeting Dean at a theatre programme at the University of California Los Angeles when both were teenagers. They became roommates, then lovers, he claimed. They kept the romance secret to protect the star’s burgeoning career, but the author held on to hope that the two could live together some day. 

The script will be set from the time Bast and Dean first met to Dean’s death in 1955. The film’s announcement aligns with the 69th anniversary of the actor’s death.

“I have been a fan and historian of James Dean since I was 18 years old, so I knew about his ‘friend’ Willie, even when information about their relationship was straight-washed by the Hollywood machine,” Guido told THR in a statement. “As a filmmaker, I love telling the story of a celebrity’s life in their coming-of-age period. As a gay man, I was particularly drawn to Bast’s unique story.”

Dean died in a car accident on September 30, 1955 at age 24, five years after Bast and Dean supposedly connected at University. Some of his most celebrated films, including Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, were released posthumously.

According to THR, director Guido has started meeting with potential producers and is working to land the right cast for the film’s major roles, and is hoping to “find just the right team to partner with” for the film given the “gravity and importance” of the story.

“I am obsessed with getting the look right when it comes to casting and directing a film about a famous person,” Guido told THR. “I want people to feel as if they are watching the real James Dean on the screen.”