Grisly Biopic On “The Ice Man” Now On Ice Due To Channing Tatum’s Bad Casting
For all of the blame being placed on “flyover state people” for the success ofG.I. Joe, the most outspoken journo-champions for this trendy daycare fare are based inL.A.andNew York. It’s one thing to be an adult cashing a check by playing a literal piece of plastic—that is to say: gross—it’s another stumble entirely to be an intelligentadultcheering the result. But predictably, the careers of the actors involved inJoewill benefit, andChanning Tatum,the pin-up version of the guys who carouse Wal-Mart parking lots on Saturday night, is one of ‘em. Evidently, Tatum was to play the lead in a biopic aboutRichard KuklinksiakaThe Ice Man(above), possibly the most-publicized serial-murderer/mafia hitman of recent times. No more. AuthorPhil Carlo, who penned the adapted best-selling biography on the Ice Man, has humorously called bullshit on Tatum’s casting, thus placing the project in development hell (alongside its subject, no less)…
I really hated the idea of Channing Tatum," Carlo tells theNY Post. I told [G.I. Joemega-producer]Lorenzo di Bonaventurathat this is not the guy to play one of the most feared killers of the 20th Century," Carlo said. “I thinkMickey Rourkewould really be good. He’s got that sense of danger, and there’s a similarity between the two. But it’s not Channing Tatum.”
You may recall that a few years ago The Ice Man was so ubiquitous on cable TV thatJonah Hillprobably wrote a masturbation joke about it. During that time, I remember wondering ifJames Gandolfinihad studied his endless taped interviews forTony Soprano; the dull flittering of The Ice Man’s eyelids and the unfazed deadness resting underneath shared an uncanny resemblance. (In additon to the character’sNew Jerseyconnection.) Unlike Gandolfini, Tatum would have a hellish time capturing such details and is far better off (and,hey,better paid!) in roles with Made in China printed on the ass.
