Ridley Scott's Nottingham has been pushed back indefinitely but at least until Spring, what with any self-respecting Robin Hood requiring that leaves be on the trees before he can commence robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. But star Russell Crowe isn't going to let the grass grow under his feet until spring, oh no. Instead, he's trying to get underway with a new biopic of achingly cool comedy legend Bill Hicks.
For those of you not in the know, Hicks was one of the smartest, most acerbic comedians of the 80s and early 90s, who struggled with drink and drugs before getting his career back on track - only to fall victim to cancer at just 32 years old. Despite his tragically young death, he lived long enough and worked hard enough to influence pretty much every comedian since, and has been paid tribute in everything from The Simpsons to the comic series Preacher.
New Zealand writer Mark Staufer has already written a treatment for a possible film, and is now turning that into a draft script, in the hope that it will hit production before the leaves unfold again in Sherwood Forest. And while he has not hitherto been known for comedy Crowe is not a bad likeness for Hicks - check out the AEnima album inlay that shows Hicks depicted here and tell us that doesn't look at least a bit like our favourite phone-chucker - and could do very well at this sort of intense stand up. Even better, enjoy some vintage Hicks standup right here, and see why it is that his biopic is a Good Idea.