Bret Easton Ellis is the Los Angeles-born, well-educated, bestselling novelist behind such classics as “Less Than Zero” and “American Psycho.” Now, his 2005 book “Lunar Park” is being made into a feature film with an unusual A-list casting in the works; and the strangest part is that it isn’t even the weirdest role the actor has landed in the last month.
“’Lunar Park’ is in some state of pre-production. This is a very funny town,” chuckled Easton Ellis when we spoke with him recently. “Oddly enough, Benicio Del Toro I think is going to do it.”
The casting of Del Toro is sure to raise some eyebrows because the main character in Bret Easton Ellis’ novel is…Bret Easton Ellis. “Lunar Park” is a semi-autobiographical tale that details the early fame he received when his literary career took off in the Eighties, then blurs it with such fictional details as terrorist attacks, ghost hauntings, and a marriage to an actress.
“Benicio would actually be playing Bret Easton Ellis,” the author said of his new, unlikely doppelganger. “It’s a strange bit of casting.”
According to Easton Ellis, it was their physical differences that attracted the “Traffic” star to the role. “I think he’s interested just because he’s rarely offered Anglo parts. I think that’s one of the reasons it was very exciting [to him],” explained the writer, whose latest novel-turned-movie, “The Informers,” is in theaters now.
“I don’t even think he read the book; I just think he read the script and said ‘Oh, this is an Anglo writer and you’re not casting a white dude? You’ve come to me?’ And I think that rarely happens for him. I think he’s offered a lot of Spanish characters and ethnic types, and I think it’s very rare for him to get offered Anglo parts.”
Easton Ellis, who recently revealed a desire to turn his upcoming “Less Than Zero” sequel into a movie, said that he’s keeping a close eye on the “Lunar” flick’s development.
Adding that “there is not a director” yet on the film, Easton Ellis was amused at the possibility that del Toro may bring his Oscar-winning talents to the “Lunar Park” and “Three Stooges” movies back-to-back.
“I wonder which one will be funnier?” he laughed.
Have you read “Lunar Park”? If so, what do you think of Del Toro playing Bret Easton Ellis?
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