Carnac the Magnificent probably saw this coming years ago. I'm actually surprised we haven't seen much in the way of biopics on Johnny Carson, but now his estate is moving forward on a feature film that will bring The Tonight Show host's life to the big screen. Black Swan scribe John McLaughlin will re-team with his Hitchcock producer Tom Thayer on the film based on Bill Zehme's upcoming book, Carson The Magnificent: An Intimate Portrait.
Zehme's no stranger to the late night talk show wars having written features on Jay Leno and David Letterman, who battled it out to fill the vacuum when Carson retired from The Tonight Show back in 1992. He's also the only journalist the notoriously private Carson spoke to after his retirement. While there's nothing official on what ground will be covered, it sounds like it may explore the contrasts between his quiet personal life and his very public persona which saw him in the homes of millions every single night.
So while a director is still being sought, the real question is who would play Carson? And what about his sidekick, Ed McMahon? Rich Little played him in the excellent adaptation of The Late Shift, but he's far too old now and not nearly popular enough. What about Greg Kinnear? Or maybe Jim Carrey? [Deadline]
