As reported by The Daily Mail, Theo James is a frontrunner to play Michael in the very costly biopic of the ‘Careless Whisper’ singer’s life. The film, which is apparently in the final stages of development, is said to have a budget of £85 million.
The late Wham! frontman’s estate has now publicly said they are not endorsing the biopic, however.
“On behalf of George’s family and GME we want to make it clear that there is no truth whatsoever in this story, we know nothing about this project and will not be endorsing it in any way.”
Theo James attends the AFI Awards Luncheon at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on January 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images).
It’s a pretty damning comment and it’s unclear now if the project will move forward without the estate’s support.
Recent music biopics, such as Moonage Daydream, Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody have been huge hits, both commercially and critically, so it’s no wonder the tumultuous story of George Michael would be brought to the big screen at some point.
A source told The Daily Mail that James is close to being handed the role: “The script is in the final stages and producers are looking for their leading man. Theo’s name is the one on everyone’s lips. He would be perfect for the part. This is George’s story, warts and all.”
Much like Michael, who was born Georgios Panayiotou, James is of Greek heritage. James has said previously that he’d love to play Michael in a biopic: “Oh yeah, I would love that. He is an icon. He is a bit Greek and I am a bit Greek.”
James was last seen in the second series of HBO’s wildly popular The White Lotus and one scene in particular caused quite a fuss, making Theo James a household name for sure.
