New Movie Biopic of Lionel Bart starring Geoffrey Rush

According to Baz in today's Mail,  Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush is committed to portraying the older Lionel Bart in a new movie musical which uses the composer's songs to tell his rags to riches and then broke again story.

Director Vadim Jean is working on the biopic with writer and composer Elliot Davis who was one of several music students Bart hired to help him transcribe his scores. Peter Darling (Billy Elliot, Matilda and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory) is the choreographer  for the movie which Jean hopes to start filming this autumn.

Jean, BBC Films executives and a casting director are currently searching for an actor to portray the composer between the ages of 28 and 35.  He will then look for actors to portray Barbara Windsor, George Sewell, Miriam Karlin and others in the East End troupe assembled by Joan Littlewood at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East for Bart’s Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be. (Which is about to be revived at Stratford East from 8th May with Jessie Wallace, Gary Kemp. Ryan Molloy and Stefan Booth).