For years, ever since rocker Jeff Buckley tragically drowned back in 1996, there has been Hollywood talk about making a biopic about his short but hugely talented life. Today we learn that Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark star Reeve Carney has been cast in one of 2 planned Jeff Buckley films. IMHO, Carney is a great choice to play the late singer … not only does he bear a striking resemblance to Buckley but he deffo has the musical ability to pull off the role successfully. I am so on board with this casting.

The Jake Scott version of Jeff Buckley biopic has finally found its leading man. The “Welcome to the Rileys” director has chosen Reeve Carney to portray the late musician in the project which is still untitled. Explaining his reason to pick the 28-year-old actor, who sounds not familiar in Hollywood, Scott said, “We are excited to have found in Reeve the perfect combination of musical prodigy, impish charm, innate intelligence and sensitivity to play Jeff.” Carney himself is best known for playing Peter Parker a.k.a Spider-Man in the Broadway show “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark”. Moreover, Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert, who serves as executive producer for the project, also gave her approval for Carney. “We are over the moon that Reeve has agreed to take on this challenging role,” Guibert said, before adding, “He’s been getting ready for this all his life. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he looks so much like Jeff.” Previously, there was a swirling speculation that Robert Pattinson was wanted to star in the biopic. The Edward Cullen of the “Twilight Saga” franchise had formerly lost the coveted role to “Gossip Girl” star Penn Badgley in another version of Buckley’s film, “Greetings from Tim Buckley”, which is directed by Dan Algrant. The untitled Jeff Buckley project follows the short life of the inspirational singer-songwriter who died at the age of 30 in a mysterious drowning accident in Wolf River Harbor. The production will begin in November in New York and Memphis with Michelle Sy and Orian Williams serving as the producers. Ryan Jaffe, meanwhile, will provide the script.

This biopic sounds fantastic. The fact that Buckley‘s family is involved puts my mind at ease that it won’t turn out to be a schlockfest. Despite the unfortunate badness of Turn Off the Dark, there is no question that Reeve Carney is a talented musician. I think he’ll make a great Jeff Buckley. This film, thus far, has my stamp of approval.

UPDATE: A FIRST PHOTO of Reeve Carney in costume as Jeff Buckley in this biopic has already come to light:

Well, that was fast. Just announced yesterday as the lead for Jake Scott‘s forthcoming biopic on Jeff Buckley, it seems the filmmakers want to convince everybody that Reeve Carney is the man for the job, and based on looks alone, he certainly has the part down. The filmmakers have released this photo, likely taken during early pre-production and/or camera tests and Carney’s resemblance to Buckley is uncanny if not downright eerie. One of a couple films in production about the late singer, Scott’s currently untitled film, is presenting a much more thorough look at the life of the singer than his competitors, using David Browne‘s book “Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley” as a resource, with full and exclusive access to the Buckley archives. Ryan Jaffe (”The Rocker”) has penned the script, which will track the singer’s life from his start in New York City playing clubs around town to the release of his only album “Grace,” in 1994 and his tragic death in the spring of 1997 when he drowned while swimming in Wolf River Harbor, pulled under by the wake of a boat. Filming begins in November in New York and Memphis and if you see an increase of reports about the ghost of Buckley popping up, you’ll know why.

Wow. Perfect casting. Now I really approve!!

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