It's been a few years since MGM began their resurgence out of bankruptcy by planning to capitalize on their extensive catalog of 1980s staples. Out of the list of films that emerged from that we've already seen how Robocop developed, and Poltergeist is well on its way with Gil Kenan directing, and Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt eying the leads. But the studio was also moving forward on a remake of Taylor Hackford's 1980 rock music drama, The Idolmaker, which briefly had Ryan Gosling set to star and make his directorial debut. He would drop out soon after, and nothing was heard about the project until now with another top-tier talent coming aboard.
The Wrap reports that Justin Timberlake is set to produce The Idolmaker, with no plans at this time for him to star. However, they caution it could change if the superstar singer/actor likes the script and director. The film is a biopic on the life of rock promoter Bob Marucci, who discovered and managed such rock 'n roll icons as Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Marucci served as an adviser on the film, which starred Ray Sharkey and Peter Gallagher.
Given his talents, Timberlake seems like a natural fit to play one of Marucci's discoveries rather than the lead, but whatever he decides we can probably expect him to have a hand in the 1950s-era soundtrack. MGM does seem to be throwing a lot of weight behind this project, so don't be surprised if they try to push Timberlake into a starring role and better attract some of those 25 million Twitter followers.
