Jared Leto is excited to be a part of an upcoming movie, which the actor has confirmed will see him playing Andy Warhol. Just a day after what would have been the iconic painter's 92nd birthday, the actor announced this by posting a slew of photos to his Instagram account earlier this week. "Yes it’s true I will be playing Andy Warhol in an upcoming film," the actor wrote.
Wishing Andy a belated happy birthday, Leto, 48, wrote he was "grateful and excited" about getting the opportunity to honor an artist giant. He concluded the message noting that he was a genius and that they miss him. Warhol was not just an artist, but also a film director and producer who popularized what was later touted as pop art.
The rumor mill has been churning out speculations surrounding Warhol's impending biopic, with Leto playing the artist. Leto's latest Instagram post confirmed the speculations of him being a part of the biopic, but the actor refrained from sharing more details about the upcoming movie, PEOPLE reported.
Multiple reports back in 2016 suggested Leto will be starring in and producing a film dubbed Warhol. Representatives of The Suicide Squad actor told Hollywood Reporter at the time that he would be involved in the long-rumored movie.
The book was slated to be based on Victor Bockris 1989 book entitled "Warhol: The Biography," after Leto and co-producer Michael De Luca acquired the rights. The publications suggest Terence Winter, who was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay for The Wolf Of Wall Street, will be writing the screenplay.
Warhol was a complex character who was a hypochondriac. He died at the age of 58 in Feb. 1987 from a sudden irregular heartbeat after he underwent gallbladder surgery. Some of his best works comprise the Marilyn Diptych and Campbell’s soup cans which he created in 1962. Furthermore, his creations are highly valuable, with one of his paintings set at a whopping $105 million for his 1963 painting entitled, "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)."
He created the phrase "fifteen minutes of fame." He was openly gay even before homosexuality was touted acceptable. Warhol created an art studio called The Factory, that lured the New York society in the 60s and managed Rock band The Velvet Underground.
This isn't the first time Leto will be undergoing a radical overhaul to play a character. The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Dallas Buyers Club in 2013 for portraying an HIV-positive, drug-addicted trans woman.