Films and series
Updated on October 1, 2024, 8:17 a.m
Interest in James Dean (1931-1955) remains unbroken. © imago/ZUMA Press Wire
A good 70 years after his untimely death, a new film about James Dean is in the works. It is based on the book “Surviving James Dean”. In it, his former roommate writes about his romance with the Hollywood legend.
Almost 70 years ago, on September 30, 1955, James Dean died in a car accident at the age of 24. It wasn’t just his early death that made the actor a legend who still has appeal today. Now is laut “The Hollywood Reporter” a new film about the 1950s icon is being planned. The focus is supposed to be James Dean’s romance with a man.
Director and screenwriter Guy Guido has secured the rights to the 2006 book “Surviving James Dean” by William Bast (1931-2015). As a student, Bast shared an apartment with James Dean and, according to his own statements, had a sexual relationship with the future star. The two men kept the affair secret so as not to endanger Dean’s success in the film business.
As early as 1956, the author wrote a biography about his roommate and lover. In 1975 he wrote the screenplay for the TV film “James Dean: Portrait of a Friend”.
James Dean’s bisexuality is an open secret
“I’ve been a fan and connoisseur of James Dean since I was 18 years old,” Guy Guido said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “So I knew about his ‘friend’ Willie, even as information about their relationship was swept under the rug by the Hollywood machine,” the director continued. “As a filmmaker, I love telling the story of a celebrity’s life as they come of age. As a gay man, I was particularly drawn to Bast’s unique story,” he continues.
James Dean’s bisexuality has been an open secret for a long time. “No, I’m not homosexual. But I don’t go through life with just one hand either,” he is said to have said during his lifetime.
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