He might not have held on to household name status the way, say, Morecambe and Wise have, but Danny La Rue is still respected for his long entertainment career. Adrian Noble is now planning a biopic of the man, who died in 2009{
Martyn Hesford has written the script for the film, which will chart La Rue’s life and career, particularly his years as a female impersonator and comic across several decades.
“What drew me to the project was Martyn’s brilliant and funny screenplay which tells two unexpected love stories in an unexpected way,” Noble tells Screen International. “Over the course of his life Danny stood at the fulcrum of a changing British society and his story is filled with potent images where a man could dress as a woman and rub shoulders with royalty and gangsters alike.”
The big challenge, of course, will be finding someone who can play La Rue – surely biopic stalwart Michael Sheen will be considered, but might not be right for this one. Assuming he locks in the right actor, Noble aims to shoot the film next year.