Robert Pattinson loses Jeff Buckley's role to Badgley

Actor Penn Badgley has been cast as Jeff Buckley in his forthcoming feature Greetings from Tim Buckley, which is directed by Dan Algrant. Robert Pattinson desperately wanted to reprise the role of singer/songwriter in his biopic. But the Gossip Girl star has finally won the race by bagging the role.

In an official statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Patrick Milling Smith of Smuggler Films has confirmed the casting Penn Badgley. He says, “In its purest form this is a father and son story, a rite of passage that is made possible by a romantic journey Jeff finds himself on. We see Jeff accepting who he is to become and laying to rest the ghost of his father while ultimately finding his voice."

However, the movie bosses were very serious about the character of Jeff Buckley and were considering the names of Penn Badgley, Robert Pattinson, James Franco, Jared Leto and James Marsden. They were carried away by the audition of the Gossip Girl star and finalised his name for the lead role.

Patrick Milling Smith adds, “We had been searching well over a year for an actor that can come close to Jeff"s spirit while also having the serious musical chops required to authentically tell this story. Penn"s audition blew us away and we knew we found our star."