If this happens, our respect for and love of MIchael Douglas will increase ten-fold. The word on the street is that Steven Soderbergh is developing a biopic of flamboyant pianist and idol Liberace, with Douglas lined up for the lead role.
The script's still being written by Richard La Gravenese, who was admittedly responsible for last year's PS I Love You, but who also wrote The Fisher King, so let's hope he's on form. The story would focus on the court case brought against Liberace in 1982 by Scott Thorsen, who claimed $113m in palimony saying that he had been the pianist's companion for five years. Even though Liberace always denied being gay, he settled out of court for $95,000 in 1986, before his death in 1987 from AIDS at the age of 67.
Douglas worked with Soderbergh before, on Traffic, while the director's lined up another regular to take the role of his lover.** **Matt Damon is in talks to play Thorsen, which - again, if it happens - would be spectacularly interesting casting.
But this won't be Soderbergh's next project, or even the one after that, so don't get too excited. The director's recently finished shooting The Informant with Damon, and is next planning The Girlfriend Experience, a low-budget film to be simultaneously released on cable, DVD and in cinemas like Bubble. Still, let's hope that there are enough sequins and rhinestones in the world to bring Liberace to the big screen as soon as he's able, because this sounds really intriguing.