Billy Zane is set to make the trek to Italy’s Torino Film Festival which has secured the world premiere of hotly anticipated indie film “Waltzing With Brando” directed by Bill Fishman in which Zane plays Marlon Brando during the period when he was preparing to star in “The Godfather” and “Last Tango in Paris.”
“Waltzing With Brando,” which is is based on a memoir by the iconic actor’s architect, Bernard Judge, is the tale of how Brando plucked Judge, who was then an idealistic Los Angeles architect, from his stable existence and convinced him that he should build the world’s first ecologically perfect retreat on the tiny uninhabitable Tahitian island of Tetiaroa.
The bulk of the film was shot on Tetiaroa, where Brando and Judge tried to spearhead sustainable architecture and practices.
“Waltzing With Brando” has been set as the closing film of Torino which is also celebrating the centennial of Marlon Brando’s birth with a 24-title retrospective of films featuring the groundbreaking two-time Oscar winner, known for his naturalistic acting style and rebellious streak.
Base is understandably proud that Zane, who is renowned for his memorable role as Cal Hockley in “Titanic,” is making the trek with Fishman to present the film. “You won’t believe it: he is possessed by Marlon Brando,” Base tells Variety.
As previously announced, Ron Howard’s survival thriller “Eden,” starring Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby and Sydney Sweeney, has been set as the Torino opener with the director in tow, marking the film’s international festival bow following its Toronto launch.
The full Torino lineup will be announced on Nov. 7
Billy Zane, 58, produces and stars in the upcoming Waltzing with Brando, a biopic that follows Brando during the 1970s, offering glimpses of the Oscar-winning legend in Last Tango in Paris and The Godfather.
A new production still from Waltzing with Brando — which is now set to have its world premiere at the Torino Film Festival in November — shows Zane looking like the spitting image of Brando’s Don Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather.
Judge, who died in 2021, was an award-winning architect whose innovations in building focused on environmental sustainability. Brando hired him to construct a home on the 12-island atoll of Tetiaroa, Tahiti. In May, Zane and fellow producers Fishman and Dean Bloxom announced that they have pledged to send 5% of the movie’s proceeds to residents of Tetiaroa.
In addition to the Titanic actor, Waltzing with Brando costars Tia Carrere, Richard Dreyfuss, Jon Heder, Alaina Huffman, Rob Corddry and more.
“The production team were so on point,” Zane captioned some behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram providing a sneak peek at the movie in May. One photo showed the actor in Brando's uncannily similar hair and costuming seated in a chair labeled “Marlon Brando.”
The Torino Film Festival runs from Nov. 22 to 30 in Turin, Italy, where Waltzing with Brando will be the closing night film. Also among Zane's completed upcoming projects is INT.HALLWAY/NIGHT, in which he stars and directs. This is his first film as director since 2004's Big Kiss.
Billy Zane was unrecognizable after transforming into Marlon Brando for the new biopic, Waltzing With Brando.
In a newly released image, the 58-year-old actor could be seen portraying the silver screen legend Brando when he was preparing to star in one of his most iconic roles of all time.
The Titanic star — who went shirtless while filming a beach scene for the biopic — went viral on X for his uncanny portrayal of the iconic actor, and fans also took to social media to share their excitement for Zane's comeback.
In Waltzing With Brando, which is directed by Bill Fishman, Zane will portray the late actor during the period he was preparing for some of his most iconic roles — The Godfather as well as Last Tango in Paris.
The biopic is based on a memoir penned by the acclaimed actor's architect, Bernard Judge.
It tells the story of how Brando discovered Judge and convinced him to build the world's first ecologically perfect retreat on the tiny, uninhabitable Tahitian island of Tetiaroa.
The film festival's new artistic director Giulio Base also gushed about Zane's performance in the role and his attendance at the event to promote the biopic.
'You won't believe it: he is possessed by Brando,' he told Variety about the Titanic star playing the iconic star — who died at age 80 from respiratory and heart difficulties in July 2004.
The 42nd Torino Film Festival will kick off on November 22 and Waltzing With Brando will be the closing film, premiering on the 30th.
In addition to the screening of the biopic, in celebration of the centennial of Marlon Brando's birth, there will also be a 24-title retrospective of films featuring the late legend.
On Wednesday, Zane started trending on X, formerly Twitter, as many social media users reacted to his transformation.
Many fans gushed over the decision to cast Zane in the role of portraying Marlon Brando.
One social media user wrote: 'Billy Zane is such a good casting choice!'
Another person tweeted that they were 'already' looking forward to Zane receiving his first Academy Award nomination.
'I'm already rooting for Billy Zane to get his first Oscar nomination,' one X user said. 'The hair and makeup alone has already won the Oscar.'
One X user said that Zane portraying Brando is 'pitch-perfect casting.'
'I hope the film is good, because this is pitch-perfect casting, and I'd personally love to see a Billy Zane comeback.'
Another person said that the actor looked identical to Brando when in costume and jokingly insisted that they did not believe the photo was Zane.
'Well, I am still waiting for the picture of Billy Zane. This is clearly Marlon Brando,' the tweet read.
One X user shared their shock at Zane's similarities to Brando.
'Apparently, these are pictures of Billy Zane, in an upcoming Brando biopic. Astonishing,' they wrote.
Similarly, another person, a self-proclaimed fan of Brando's movies, said they had to do a 'triple take' after seeing the still of Zane as Brando in The Godfather.
Recognizing how iconic the artistry is in the new biopic and how meta it is, one X user wrote: 'I can't wait for the Billy Zane biopic in 20 years where an actor gets to play Billy Zane playing Marlon Brando playing Vito Corleone.'
Titanic and Demon Knight star Billy Zane is taking on what could be his biggest movie role yet in Waltzing With Brando. A biopic about late actor Marlon Brando of The Godfather fame, the film has gotten a release update along with a new look at Zane in the lead role.
Per Variety, Waltzing With Brando is now set to have its world premiere at Italy's Torino Film Festival. The festival runs from Nov. 22-30 under the direction of Giulio Base, who said of Zane's performance in Waltzing With Brando, “You won't believe it: he is possessed by Marlon Brando.” The full lineup for the festival will be officially announced on Nov. 7, though it's been confirmed that Waltzing With Brando will be the closing film. Additionally, the 100th anniversary of Brando's birth will also be celebrated with a 24-title retrospective of films. Meanwhile, a new look at Zane as Brando has been revealed, and the full-size image can be seen below.
Although Marlon Brando gave a career-defining performance in The Godfather, his participation was contingent on this beloved actor not being cast.
Waltzing With Brando is directed by Bill Fishman, and the film is based on the book by Bernard Judge, the Last Tango in Paris star's architect. The film focuses on the period of time when Brando recruited Judge “from his stable existence and convinced him that he should build the world’s first ecologically perfect retreat on the tiny uninhabitable Tahitian island of Tetiaroa.” Most of the movie was shot on location in Tetiaroa, adding further authenticity to the film beyond making Zane look like a spitting image of Brando.
Zane previously shared a sneak peek at himself playing Brando with images posted to Instagram. It was clear then from those images that the casting may have been perfect, given how uncanny the resemblance is between Zane in character along with the real Brando. Zane has also addressed the project in interviews, at one point sharing how the film is not a traditional biopic that tells someone's entire story, instead focusing on one pivotal period of time in Brando's life.
The Godfather trilogy would have turned out differently if another actor was cast as a main character in the film.
“The tone of the movie is.... It’s not your average biopic, it's not a cradle-to-grave story,” Zane said, per Entertainment Weekly. “It's a five-year period, and a unique friendship between his architect and him, trying to figure out sustainable design in the late sixties and early seventies in Tahiti. It’s curiously a really great lens on a figure, as opposed to trying to tell a whole lifetime.”
It’s not your average biopic, it's not a cradle-to-grave story.
Waltzing With Brando will have its world premiere at the Torino Film Festival; it does not yet have a wide release date.
Source: Variety
Don Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.
