Filmmaker Ondi Timoner is directing a biopic about iconic NYC photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and the cast is growing steadily. Matt Smith, best known from Doctor Who, has officially been placed in the role of Mapplethorpe. His friend and sidekick Patti Smith? She’ll be played by Zosia Mamet, of Girls semi-fame.
Timoner is best known for her documentaries, most recently The Last Mile and the Russell Brand hagiography Brand: A Second Coming. She announced via Twitter that her plan was to honor the 25th anniversary of Mapplethorpe’s death by bringing his life to the big screen.
Timoner told Deadline:
“After several years of developing this script and searching across the globe for the perfect talent to embody the rich and layered roles of visionary artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, I am ecstatic to have found Matt Smith and Zosia Mamet. They will bring indelible passion, raw humanity, and authenticity to this timeless, inspiring story.”
No word yet on a release date, or production schedule, or anything. He died of AIDS in 1989, though, so the 25-year deadline has come and gone.