After the release of Shane Salerno’s documentary SALINGER two weeks ago, The Weinstein Company – who distributed the project – are to shoot a new biopic about the fabled author. The film will focus on Salinger’s life between the close of the Second World War and the release of The Catcher in the Rye, his definitive work. The writer stormed the beaches of Normandy in the June of 1944 and worked throughout the war as an investigator, using his prowess with French and German to interrogate P.O.Ws. While the documentary has had some mixed reviews, its subject is without a doubt an engaging and enigmatic literary figure who’s story is worth telling. However, his reclusive nature and the lack of footage or images the author left behind may have stifled the doc’s ability to be truly expositional. Will a biographical reenactment be more revealing?
Salerno, a seasoned film and TV scribe, will pen the script of the upcoming feature. He recently commented on the project:
“This documentary has been an incredible journey and truly epitomizes what it means to be a passion project. I’m beyond excited to share more of the fascinating material we discovered in its new special edition, and look forward to continuing my relationship with Harvey and TWC in developing a narrative film about this brilliant, intriguing man.”
Salerno had originally envisioned the project as a narrative feature, buying the rights to Paul Alexander’s 1999 biography Salinger and looking to cast Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role, before he eventually decided to shoot the doc. It looks like he gets to have his cake and eat it too this time. The new role is certain to generate interest amongst some younger Hollywood leading men. While both projects are intriguing, both on the merit of the author’s story and the merit of his work, one can’t help but wonder how Salinger would have felt about them. Most likely he would have actively deposed both projects and attempted to maintain the privacy he’d sought for so much of his life.
Check out the trailer for Salerno’s doc here:
Source: Entertainment Weekly/YouTube
