Dave Franco and his wife, Alison Brie, have spoken out about his physical similarities to Luigi Mangione.
When asked by The Hollywood Reporter (THR) about whether anyone had approached him to play Mangione in a film, Franco said: “I have never received more texts in my life about anything.” His wife also said that “everyone” has been asking him to play Mangione.
Why It Matters
Mangione, 26, has not been convicted of anything yet, but there is already a rush to make films and documentaries about him.
The alleged killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has also inspired a thriving merchandise market of graphic tees with his face on, and clothing with “deny, defend, depose” written on it — the slogan he allegedly carved into the bullets fired at Thompson.
What to Know
Despite being charged with murder, a combination of Mangione’s conventional attractiveness, age, Ivy League degree, and societal anger at the American health-care industry, has made him an unlikely hero to many.
His alleged action captured both the news cycle and wider media, as two documentaries on him were initiated in December, and now Dave Franco’s name is being floated to play him in a biopic.
The Now You See Me star, who is Jewish and not Italian, told THR at Sundance that no official offers for a movie role as Mangione have been made yet.
“I’ve never received more texts in my life about anything,” – #Together star Dave Franco on the flood of messages he’s received from people wanting him to play Luigi Mangione pic.twitter.com/s9A9pcPRJN
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 25, 2025
Mangione’s Hollywood good looks have also been the subject of a Saturday Night Live (SNL) monologue by Chris Rock, who said: “Everybody’s fixated on how good-looking this guy looks.
“If he looked like Jonah Hill, no one would care. They’d have given him the chair already.”
What People Are Saying
Dave Franco: “Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it.”
Chris Rock on SNL: “[Mangione] actually killed a man, a man! A man with a family, a man with kids… I have real condolences for the Healthcare CEO…but you also gotta know, sometimes drug dealers get shot.”
What Happens Next
Mangione is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a jury.
He potentially faces the death penalty over the murder charges. President Donald Trump is an advocate of the death penalty, leading many to believe Mangione may be killed by the state if he is convicted of the federal charges.
One documentary about Mangione was released by ABC in December. If he continues to capture the public’s imagination then it is highly likely that a Hollywood biopic of him will be made. Whether that will star Dave Franco remains to be seen.
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