Mitchell Robertson has been cast as gay screenwriter Bill Bast in the upcoming , joining as the Hollywood heartthrob.

Written and directed by Guy Guido, the screenplay will be based on his long-term research into Dean’s life, as well as his own interpretation of the relationship between Dean and Bast

Bast first met Dean at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) when they were both young actors. The pair became close friends and roommates before developing a romantic relationship, which they kept private to protect Dean’s Hollywood career.

About the upcoming James Dean biopic

The biopic will follow the pair’s relationship from their first meeting through to Dean’s death in a car accident on 30 September 1955, aged 24. It will also explore Bast’s journey towards accepting his sexuality during the 1950s.

Bast died on 4 May 2015, aged 84, in a care facility in Los Angeles, California, leaving behind his long-term partner, Paul Huson.

Dean never publicly came out, although he famously addressed questions about his sexuality in a 1954 interview, when an East Coast reporter asked him about rumours that he was gay.

Dean addresses his sexuality

“No, I’m not homosexual. But I’m also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back,” he said.

“James Dean has been romanticised and mythologised for more than 70 years, and I think people have become very attached to a particular image of him: the rebellious, brooding, heterosexual heartthrob with a cigarette dangling from his mouth,” he said.

“For some, the suggestion that his sexuality may have been more complex than that challenges a fantasy they’ve held on to for decades. But others are genuinely excited by the possibility of seeing a more layered, vulnerable and multidimensional James Dean — someone who wasn’t necessarily confined to the identity Hollywood created for him. And that’s what really interests me.”

Leading cast: Mitchell Robertson and Brandon Flynn

Robertson is perhaps best known for playing young Niall in the BBC drama , in which his character struggles to come to terms with his sexuality. The Scottish actor has also appeared in , and A Very British Scandal.

He will star alongside Flynn, best known for his breakout role in the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why. The actor has also appeared in and , and most recently in .

The James Dean biopic was announced in 2024 and is currently in development. A release date has yet to be confirmed.