The actor who will be essaying the role of a younger version of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg in the officially untitled film (although tentatively titled ‘The Febelmans’), which is ostensibly inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood, has reportedly been finalized. As per a report via Deadline, Gabriel LaBelle would be playing the important role in the much-anticipated film.
Gabriel LaBelle is known for acting in films including ‘Dead Shack’, ‘The Predator’ besides appearing in television series like ‘iZombie’. His forthcoming projects include television series titled ‘American Gigolo’ and ‘Brand New Cherry Flavour’.
It was reported a few months back that Steven Spielberg had found his next directorial project (after ‘West Side Story’), and that it would be based on his growing-up days. And that Spielberg would not only be directing the film, but it would also mark his screenwriting comeback (after ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’) as he would be co-writing the film with his regular collaborator Tony Kushner.
It was also reported that Michelle Williams would play the role inspired by the filmmaker’s mother. Further, Seth Rogen was said to essay the role of the filmmaker’s favorite uncle.
To get a better idea regarding what the film might comprise, let us give you a brief rundown of the filmmaker’s formative years. Steven Spielberg was born in 1946 in Ohio to an orthodox Jewish family. In the late 1950s, he moved to Arizona. His tryst with filmmaking started at the age of 12 and over a period of his years, while growing up, he ended up making more than fifteen 8mm films.
At the age of 17 and with a budget of $500, Spielberg made his first independent science fiction film ‘Firelight’, which eventually served as the inspiration for his future hit film ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’. Interestingly, ‘Firelight’, which was mainly financed by his father, was screened just one evening at a local theatre, which had earned the film a profit of $1.
Spielberg later moved to California after which he got a chance from Universal Studios to make a short film. The success of the film and a subsequent seven-year directorial contract with the eminent studio made Spielberg the youngest director to achieve this feat.
Later, in his glorious cinematic career, Spielberg went on to make highly acclaimed films like ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’, ‘Indiana Jones’ films, ‘Jurassic Park’ films, ‘Schindler’s List’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Catch Me If You Can’, ‘The Terminal’ and ‘Lincoln’, to name a few.
Precisely what aspects of Spielberg’s life would be portrayed in the film by the legendary filmmaker remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the film is certainly going to be a truly inspiring experience, particularly for budding filmmakers worldwide. The film will reportedly commence filming later this year and might get a theatrical release in the year 2022.