HughHefner Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Though it really could mean anything, because people in Hollywood take meetings with other people in Hollywood every single day (it's what they do, and it keeps them alive), we found it rather interesting to learn that Diablo Cody met with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner yesterday to talk about that long-delayed Brian Grazer-produced Playboy flick that may or may not star either Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr. or someone else entirely, and may or may not be directed by Brett Ratner.

We know this because of Hefner's Twitter account, where yesterday afternoon he tweeted the following: "Meeting with Diablo Cody to talk about the Brian Grazer Playboy film today." Cody, however, kept hush hush about the meeting on Twitter, and Hefner never followed up to tell his followers how the meeting went. That said, knowing that he's meeting with writers means they're either looking for a brand new script or a rewrite of what already exists. Last time anything official hit regarding this project, it was back in 2007 when John Hoffman signed on to pen the script, with Ratner attached to direct.

Cody seems like an odd choice for a screenwriter, though, especially since she seems to dig projects that are chick-centric (then again, I guess any film about the life of Hugh Hefner would include plenty of female, um, parts). What could she possibly add to the project, other than a whole bunch of quirky, high school hipster-speak? Seems like an odd pairing ... what do you think this is all about?

Love him or hate him, you've got to hand it to Brett Ratner for keeping his career in motion. Variety brings word that the hustling filmmaker plans to take his Rat Entertainment company from New Line, where it first settled in 1996, to a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. Ratner says the departure of New Line execs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne in February convinced him it was time to move on. At Paramount, Ratner will probably get bigger budgets and executives more receptive to his blockbuster-ready concepts. Stating the obvious, Ratner told Variety he "will not be pitching art films. I want to make major tentpole movies." You don't say?

Unless you're Scott Foundas, you probably balk at the idea of more Ratner movies populating the mainstream film scene, but the guy does fit the proper archetype of the classic Hollywood powerhouse. A modern day Sammy Glick, he knows how to make movies that bring out the audiences, whether or not they're any good. But maybe that determination means that, one day, Ratner will make a lot of great movies. His planned Hugh Hefner biopic sounds promising -- or at least, appropriate.

Still, that's a little ways off. Encouraged by his experience with X-Men: The Last Stand, Ratner decided he wanted to work on a new superhero franchise, so he's adapting Valiant Comics' Harbinger. Also in his queue: Beverly Hills Cop 4, The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Boys From Brazil. Do these projects get anyone excited? Anyone at all?

Robert Downey Jr. as Hugh Hefner. The idea sounded both strange and wonderful last month when Erik posted that Hef was hoping the Iron Man star would play him. At the time, he was pursuing Robert Downey Jr., and Brett Ratner had reportedly left the project. Now, according to an interview with Coming Soon, it looks like Ratner is still involved (eh), and Downey Jr. is one step closer to taking on the role (yay!).

Hefner told the site: "Our conversations with Robert were in the months immediately before Iron Man. He called immediately after Iron Man and asked: 'When were we going to do the movie?'" I'm hoping this means that he's itching to do this, and wasn't just curious about scheduling. Should Downey Jr. officially sign on for the role, he'll get to delight in the world of Hugh from the '50s to the mid-'70s, when Hefner built his large Playboy empire (rather than the epic, original plan to tackle all 82 years of the man's life). So basically, it will be Tony Stark in pajamas, with a career that involves naked women and publishing rather than iron and technology.
Should all go according to plan, the script will be finished soon, and production will begin later this year.

Well, he played the role of one playboy successfully -- why couldn't he take on another? That seems to be the buzz this weekend, and the Chicago Sun Times reports that Playboy magazine's Hugh Hefner is very interested in having Robert Downey Jr. play him in an upcoming biopic after watching the actor shine on screen in Iron Man. Granted, Hefner is no Tony Stark -- however, I imagine each has slept with roughly the same amount of women.

According to the paper, a rep for Downey Jr. said the actor is interested but still waiting to see a script and hear who's directing it. Oh, that's right my friends -- Brett Ratner is no longer attached to the project (so says the Chicago Sun Times), though there's a chance he may return. The film, which has the working title of Playboy, will most probably track the long (and very successful) life of Hugh Hefner. Leonardo DiCaprio was once rumored to be in the running to play Hef as well.

Could you see Downey Jr. as Hef? If not, who?

[via JoBlo]

When I posted about Brett Ratner grabbing the reigns of the Hugh Hefner biopic, I asked who should play the famous Playboy founder. The suggestions were: Ryan Reynolds, Edward Norton, Joaquin Phoenix, Thomas Haden Church and Aaron Eckhart. The one name that didn't come up, and never even occurred to me -- Leonardo DiCaprio. According to The Guardian, The Departed star, who is a long-term Hef friend and supposedly frequent visitor at the Playboy mansion, is in talks to take on the role. They report that buzz is brewing that an unnamed source has said: "Leo thinks it would make a great movie and Hugh would love Leo to do it -- on the condition that Hugh is alive to see it."

It's not official, so this could very well be a bunch of malarkey, but it's an interesting notion. DiCaprio has already taken on one racy, iconic figure, albeit a much more instable one, playing Howard Hughes for The Aviator. Age-wise, he can hit a lot more of the younger days than some of the other possibilities, but it all comes down to how well he can pull of Hef's shtick. Not every man can put on a saucy robe, chew on a pipe and make it look natural. I imagine that will be one of the film's big obstacles -- having someone embody Mr. Hefner, take on all of the man's quirky style, and still make it seem like Hef himself, and not a caricature. Could DiCaprio do it? After his portrayal of Hughes, I'm inclined to think he could.

The thought of Brett Ratner directing a biopic about Hugh Hefner is interesting, to say the least. The Family Man was his one high-profile foray out of action adventure flicks like the Rush Hour franchise and X-Men, or the more thrilling Red Dragon. Of all the directions he'd go, I wasn't expecting a sexual revolution. Variety has reported that the director is teaming with producer and hair gel lover Brian Grazer to finally bring Playboy to the screen -- a film about Hefner's life. John Hoffman, whose last released feature was the super-awesome Good Boy! is going to pen the script. Grazer grabbed Hef's life rights a while ago, and has been working on getting a workable project since then. If you can imagine it, Scott Silver once tried to whip Hugh into a musical, which could have been fun, but also potentially terrible, and Oliver Stone even worked on some drafts.

Where they've failed, Ratner and Hoffman have succeeded -- pleasing not only Grazer, but Hugh himself. Perhaps it's due to all the Playboy pinball he's played, or used to play, as Variety also says that Ratner sent Grazer his Playboy pinball machine. As for the scope, the director says: "Hef came from a puritanical upbringing and reinvented himself to be the godfather of the sexual revolution. He also used his magazine to advocate civil rights and free speech, and put James Brown on his show Playboy After Dark when they didn't put black performers on national television. He broke all kinds of taboos, especially in sexuality. I want to show it all, from the First Amendment struggles to his first orgy to the stroke in the 1980's that almost killed him." It sounds like a little something for everyone! When this project goes into production will depend on which of his two upcoming screenplays gets finished first -- he's also waiting for a caper film to get a re-write, one that might see Chris Tucker acting alongside Sidney Poitier of all people. Now onto the big question: Who will play Hugh?