Break out the bullwhips: The Robert Mapplethorpe bio-pic is coming

Robert Mapplethorpe and Nate Dushku

Last month we told you that Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku was developing a biopic of artist Robert Mapplethorpe, and would star her brother Nate.

If, like me, you dismissed the briefs blurb as just another insane scribbling by our Blog Editor, you're in for a shock: it's true!

According to Variety, Dushku has secured the rights and received the full cooperation of the Mapplethorpe estate, and the film, called The Perfect Moment, "will chronicle Mapplethorpe's career from his rise to fame in the 1970s for his portraits of socialites and rock stars until his death in 1989 at age 42 from complications arising from AIDS."

Tapped to direct is documentarian Ondi Timoner, and most intriguing is the casting of Nate Dushku, for whom Eliza developed the film: "Nate physically has an uncanny resemblance to Robert," she said. "Some pictures are really eerie." (Interestingly, the "official" announcement of the film in Variety doesn't mention the casting of Nate in the lead, but we'll hope that's just an oversight.)

I don't know if I'd call the resemblance "eerie", but I'd certainly be willing to give hottie Nate the benefit of the doubt if he wants to try to pull off playing such a larger-than-life personality (especially if he's willing to make the performance authentic by recreating one of Mapplethorpe's most infamous pieces ... you know the one I'm talking about).

What do you think? Interested in seeing a biopic of Robert Mapplethorpe, and are you a fan of his work?