There are worse things than to be considered a go-to guy for starring in major Hollywood YA adaptations, especially when they turn out as well as Divergent and The Fault In Our Stars did. And that's how things worked out for Ansel Elgort, who starred alongside Shailene Woodley in both films while making a name for himself in the process. And now he's moving to his first solo lead, taking on the title role in a developing biopic on American pianist Van Cliburn.
Based on Howard Reich's book and written by Andrew Stern, the film will tell the true story of the Texas-born Cliburn, who at the age of 23 emerged out of nowhere to win the Tchaikovsky International Piano competition held in Moscow. The event was set up at during the height of the Cold War when tensions between the USSR and the U.S. were at an all-time high. Cliburn was given credit for helping to ease those tensions, and went on to start his own competition years later after becoming one of the world's most in-demand performers. He graduated from Juilliard but was trained as a child by his mother, who happened to be the neighborhood piano teacher.
Elgort's a trained piano player and should slip easily into the role, but first a director still needs to be found. He's currently filming the Divergent sequel, Insurgent, due out next year. [Deadline]
