As Expected, Soderbergh To Follow Up CHE With Liberace Biopic Starring Michael Douglas!!

Beaks here... Now that Steven Soderbergh has sold his four-hour CHE to IFC Films (read all about the proposed release pattern at Anne Thompson's blog), the auteur is free at last to focus his considerable talents on the movie he was born to make: LIBERACE! I won't pretend to be an expert on the flamboyant, ivory-tickling entertainer (my understanding of the man hasn't progressed much since my first viewing of "Hyde and Hare"), but he was unquestionably one of the most significant entertainers of the twentieth century. And he had a huge following throughout the '50s and '60s despite the fact that he... well... had a way about him. According to Variety, Soderbergh's film will be written by Richard LaGravenese, and will focus on the entertainer's later years, during which he was sued for palimony by his alleged former lover, Scott Thorson (who testified in the Wonderland murders trial). The match of director to material is one thing, but it's the casting of Michael Douglas in the lead role that's bound to throw people; though he's a fine actor, I doubt anyone has ever thrown on WALL STREET and exclaimed, "This guy would fucking kill as Liberace". That said, I find myself warming to the idea the more I think about it. I certainly can't argue with Matt Damon coming on board to play Thorson (though he's only "in talks" at the moment).

(l) Liberace, (r) Douglas

By the way, the Liberace biopic won't be the immediate follow-up to CHE. Soderbergh has already completed THE INFORMANT, and is preparing to shoot THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE.