Chris Evans is reportedly set to play legendary actor/singer/dancer Gene Kelly in a fictionalized biopic from Skyfall writer John Logan. Evans rose to fame playing Steve Rogers/Captain America in the MCU before closing out his tenure in the role with Avengers: Endgame in 2019. His most recent role was in the Apple TV+ show Defending Jacob in 2020.
Gene Kelly was the famed performer who appeared in such classic Hollywood hits as Singing in the Rain, An American in Paris, Hello, Dolly! and many, many more. Kelly died in 1996 at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy of films, many of which were credited as helping to popularize the Hollywood musical. One of Kelly's final films was the cult classic musical Xanadu, which flopped at the box office, but spawned a hit soundtrack regardless.
It's now being reported (via Deadline) that Evans is set to play the legendary Kelly in a fictional biographical film about "a 12 year old boy who works on the MGM Lot in 1952 and begins to create an imagined friendship with the legendary movie star Gene Kelly while working on his next film." The concept is based on an original idea conceived by Evans, who is also set to produce the film, which does not currently have a studio attached. Skyfall, The Last Samurai, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street writer John Logan is attached to pen the script and produce alongside Evans.
Evans has kept a low profile in the last few years, appearing in guest spots in both Ryan Reynolds' Free Guy and Netflix's Adam McKay film Don't Look Up. However, Evans has been busy behind the scenes, filming the Russo Bros.' action-thriller The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling and providing the voice for Buzz Lightyear in the new Pixar film Lightyear, both set for release this year. The actor is also rumored to have roles in the new version of Little Shop of Horrors, as well as director Scott Derrickson's horror-thriller Bermuda.
After achieving household name-level fame as Captain America, Chris Evans has been steadily working toward his next move, which thus far seems to be far removed from the superhero stars and stripes. He played a killer in Rian Johnson's Knives Out, a lawyer in Defending Jacob, an animated astronaut in Lightyear, and will be the main villain in The Gray Man. Playing Gene Kelly and doing song and dance numbers feels like something that would appeal to Evans at this current stage of his career, as he attempts to shed his superhero persona in favor of more diverse material. Hopefully, that will pay off for the actor, although most would likely rather see him wielding the shield that built his career again than tap-dancing on a stage to jazz music.
Source: Deadline
