We can't wait to see this...
A biopic celebrating the life of the legendary punk singer Patti Smith is in the works, with none other than Girls’ Zosia Mamet set to play her.
The upcoming film, entitled Mapplethorpe, will centre around the complex relationship between Smith and the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, the man she called ‘the artist of my life’, who shot her famous Horses album cover, and whom she lived, loved and worked with.
The story of Smith’s life with Mapplethorpe, who is to be played by Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, was immortalised in her memoir, Just Kids.
Deadline reports that the biopic, which is scheduled to begin shooting this summer, is to be written and directed by the award-winning documentary filmmaker Ondi Timoner.
‘After several years of developing this script and searching across the globe for the perfect talent to embody the rich and layered roles of visionary artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, I am ecstatic to have found Matt Smith and Zosia Mamet,’ Timoner said.
‘They will bring indelible passion, raw humanity, and authenticity to this timeless, inspiring story.’
Mapplethorpe, which is backed by the Mapplethorpe Foundation, isn’t the only project in the works for Smith.
Just Kids has also been optioned by American television network Showtime for a series. The project, which is separate from the planned biopic, is being penned by Smith herself.
There is also the HBO documentary Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this week, and which focuses on the life and work of the artist.
The history, life and works of Patti Smith and her relationship with Mapplethorpe, who died of AIDS at the age of 42 in 1989, makes for truly interesting reading and viewing, so we’re glad the subject is being given the attention it deserves in the forthcoming biopic, documentary and television series.