‘Breaking Bad’ Star Bryan Cranston Is Set to Play Dalton Trumbo in Biopic ‘Trumbo’
Now that Bryan Cranston is done shaving his head for 'Breaking Bad,' he can finally lead a motion picture, and it appears that the former Meth King of New Mexico will star in 'Trumbo,' a biopic about Dalton Trumbo -- the most famous of the screenwriters put on the Hollywood Blacklist.
This lead role is a long time coming. Over the past few years Cranston has been showing up in supporting roles in big movies like 'John Carter' and the 'Total Recall' remake, but has yet to get something meaty for the big screen. Deadline reports that Cranston will star in the picture for director Jay Roach, who recently directed 'The Campaign' and was behind both the 'Austin Powers' and 'Meet the Parents' franchises.
Trumbo is a fascinating figure as he was a well respected screenwriter who refused to name names before Joseph McCarthy's House of Un-American Activities committee, and so he was blacklisted. But that didn't stop Trumbo from writing under assumed names, and during that time he won two Oscars. He was also the first screenwriter to get credit under his real name after the blacklist ended (for 'Spartacus'). This looks to focus on those blacklist years, ground previously covered by 1976's 'The Front' and 1991's 'Guilty By Suspicion.' With Roach directing, it suggests a light touch, or more of a dramedy.