James Dean Biopic About Gay College Romance Is in the Works

A new feature film about James Dean‘s supposed gay college romance may be 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 fling with the actor, after acquiring its rights, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The book is based on Bast’s connection with Dean while the pair were students at UCLA’s Theater Program as teenagers. It’s set to capture how the two went from roommates to lovers as Dean built his career. In the book, Bast claims to have kept their relationship private to not hurt Dean’s burgeoning career.

“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 in 1995 at age 24, five years after Bast and Dean supposedly connected at University. His two iconic films, 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.
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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. (Bast died in 2015.)

“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.”