By Patrick Cremona

Published: Wednesday, 05 January 2022 at 12:00 am


Chris Evans is set to star as Hollywood icon Gene Kelly in a new film – based on an idea put forward by the Captain America star himself.

According to Deadline, the film will not be a biopic of Kelly but will instead tell the story of a 12-year-old boy who works on the MGM lot in 1952 and has an imaginary friendship with the Singin’ in the Rain star.

Evans is also expected to serve as a producer on the film alongside Mark Kassen and Rian Johnson, while the script will be penned by three-time Academy Award nominee John Logan – whose previous work includes Gladiator, The Aviator and Bond flicks Skyfall and Spectre.

No further details have been revealed at this stage – with no studio or director currently attached, but it certainly looks like an intriguing project.

If it does come to fruition, Evans will follow in the footsteps of his former MCU co-star Tom Holland in playing a tap-dancing legend of Old Hollywood, with the Spider-Man star set to play Fred Astaire in an upcoming biopic.

Since making his final MCU appearance in Avengers: Endgame, Evans has had a starring role in Knives Out and appeared in cameo roles in two high-profile 2021 releases – making brief appearances in both Free Guy and Don’t Look Up.

Next up, he’s voicing Buzz Lightyear in Pixar’s latest film Lightyear and will play a lead alongside Ryan Gosling in the Russo Brothers’ upcoming Netflix action thriller The Gray Man, which is set to be released later in 2022.

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