Director Michael Mann has revealed that prior to directing his 1995 classic 'Heat' he was involved in directing a biopic about the iconic '…because they don't know what they're doing' star, who died in the Died in a car accident on September 19, 1955 at the age of just 24.
While 'Wolf of Wall Street' actor Leonardo was reported to have had a "rather amazing" screen test for the lead role, the then 19-year-old actor was ultimately deemed too young for the role. Michael told 'Deadline': "It was a brilliant script. And then the question becomes, who the hell could play James Dean? And I found a guy who could play James Dean, but he was just too young. It was Leo. We did a screen test which was pretty amazing. From one point of view, he totally nailed it. I mean it's brilliance. He would turn his face one way and we see a vision of James Dean. Then he would turn his face in a different direction and we were like, no, that's a young kid." The director eventually felt that the 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' star would be perfect for the project in three years time could, but ultimately decided to work on 'Heat' instead.
