Smuggler Films has announced that Penn Badgley (“Gossip Girl”) is set to play Jeff Buckley in the biopic Greetings From Tim Buckley. Here is the press release:
Smuggler Films announced today Penn Badgley will star in the much anticipated film Greetings from Tim Buckley. He will play Tim Buckleys son Jeff in the first film to be made about the musicians. There has been much speculation regarding the casting of Jeff Buckley as many of Hollywoods hottest stars were interested in playing one of the most remarkable music artists of his generation. Greetings from Tim Buckley was written by Dan Algrant, Emma Sheanshang and David Brendel and will be directed by Dan Algrant (People I Know, Naked in New York).
Greetings from Tim Buckley follows the true story of the days leading up to Jeff Buckleys eminent 1991 performance at his fathers tribute concert in St. Anns Church. Through a romance with a young woman working at the concert, he comes to understand the father who abandoned him. Culminating in a cathartic performance of his fathers most famous songs, Jeffs debut stuns the audience and launches his career as one of the greatest young musicians of his time.
Penn Badgley said, “To play a man who was singularly gifted as an artist, greatly misunderstood & mythologized as a human being… It’s something very special and sacred. I’m going to give all I can to this project.
Patrick Milling Smith of Smuggler Films. In its purest form this is a father and son story, a rite of passage that is made possible by a romantic journey Jeff finds himself on. We see Jeff accepting who he is to become and laying to rest the ghost of his father while ultimately finding his voice.
We had been searching well over a year for an actor that can come close to Jeffs spirit while also having the serious musical chops required to authentically tell this story.”
Greetings from Tim Buckley is in preproduction and will start shooting this August in New York City. Production entities behind the movie are SMUGGLER Films, A-Z productions and Second Chance productions. The film is being produced by Patrick Milling Smith and John N. Hart (Revolutionary Road, You Can Count On Me) of SMUGGLER Films and Fred Zollo (Quiz Show, Mississippi Burning) of A-Z productions. Executive Producers are Brian Carmody, Jill Footlick (Boys Dont Cry, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) and Ben Limberg. Director of Photography is Andrij Parekh (Blue Valentine, Half Nelson). Casting Director Avy Kaufman.
(Photo Credit: C.Smith/ WENN.com)
