James Franco, Helena Bonham Carter, Kristen Stewart may team up for JT Leroy biopic

The film, JT Leroy, will center on an elaborate deception in which writer Laura Albert wrote books under the persona JT Leroy, a transgender-identifying man. Taking things even further, Albert had friend Savannah Kroop masquerade as Leroy in public, breaking into elite literary and fashion circles. Their ruse was eventually exposed, and Albert was outed as the true writer of Leroy’s work.

Albert, of course, became the focus of media scrutiny when the truth came out, and she described how she felt like Leroy had taken on a life of his own. “It really felt like he was another human being,” she told the Paris Review in an interview.

It’s a wild tale, so it’s no wonder that the three high-profile actors are interested. Appearing in the film would reunite Franco with director Justin Kelly, whom he worked with on 2015’s I Am Michael. Kelly wrote the JT Leroy script and will helm the film as well. The biopic will draw inspiration from Kroop’s memoir.

The trio of actors have all been keeping very busy, with Franco recently starring in The Adderall Diaries and Wild Horses. He’s set to appear in Hulu’s miniseries 11.22.63 and multiple films, including The Disaster Artist and The Long Home. Stewart’s recent work includes Equals and American Ultra, and she’ll be seen in upcoming projects like Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Woody Allen’s next film. Carter has Alice Through the Looking Glass on the dockett, and her two latest films are Suffragette and Cinderella.

The biopic is expected to begin production later this year with LBI Entertainment, Aquarius, and Rabbit Bandini Productions producing.