Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Lindsay Finally Got Her Richard Burton

A photo of Lindsay Lohan and Elizabeth Taylor

Lindsay’s Lifetime movie has everything going for it. It has a phenomenal leading lady. It’s strongly supported by the industry. It even has genius design. Yes, Liz and Dick has all its ducks in a row … except, of course, for a Dick. There is no Dick in this row. Nope, this row is just full of a bunch of Dickless ducks. These ducks don’t have a Dick in sight. Dick.

But wait! Lifetime finally realized that they should probably stop promoting their movie and maybe start working on the casting of the lead roles, and so a Dick was born!

From Deadline:

After an extensive search, Grant Bowler (True Blood) has been set to star opposite Lindsay Lohan inLifetime‘s biopic Liz & Dick, playing Hollywood great Richard Burton. The biopic chronicles the enduring love of movie icons Taylor (Lohan) and Burton (Bowler), whose fiery romance was the most notorious, publicized and celebrated love affair of its day. The casting comes only 10 days before Liz & Dick is scheduled to begin filming — on June 4 — after the movie’s executive producer Larry A. Thompson and Lifetime had auditioned “many actors on just about any continent,” Thompson said. He noted that the hope was to try and find an actor who, like Burton, is Welsh, but New Zealander Bowler wowed them with his tape. “Grant will add gravitas to our couple and bring to life one of the greatest actors who has ever lived,” Thompson said. “Burton was a Welsh poet, a rascal, and a man’s man, who swept Elizabeth Taylor off her feet and flew her so close to the sun that they both exploded into stardust that still lights up Hollywood.”

Grant’s casting was sealed today after he did a reading with Lohan at the network. “The chemistry erupted in the room,” said Thompson said, calling Taylor and Burton “the first Hollywood royal couple, the first Brangelina.” Larry A. Thompson Prods is producing the film, which was written by Christopher Monger (Temple Grandin); A+E Networks is handling international distribution. Ugly Betty and True Blood alum Bowler next plays the lead in the Syfy series Defiance. This marks Thompson’s return to Lifetime, where he previously produced the highly rated movie Amish Grace.

This, by the way, is Grant Bowler:

A photo of Grant Bowler

I don’t know anything about this Grant Bowler guy, but here’s something that makes me giggle: Richard Burton was only seven years older than Elizabeth Taylor. Grant Bowler is 18 years older than Lindsay. Did they have to get an older actor because Lindsay looks so old after all the meth? Something to think about!

6 CommentsLeave a comment

  • “a man’s man, who swept Elizabeth Taylor off her feet and flew her so close to the sun that they both exploded into stardust that still lights up Hollywood.”
    A/k/a their fights are still legendary.
    “Grant will add gravitas to our couple.”
    A/k/a they needed at least one serious actor.
    “Grant’s casting was sealed today after he did a reading with Lohan at the network. ‘The chemistry erupted in the room'”
    A/k/a he was the only one who could stand to be in a room with Lindsay for more than five minutes.

  • I am a Welsh Actor and as I was too old they asked me to be the Voice-Coach on the NBC Mini Series ‘The Life Of Liz Taylor ‘ I had just finished a One-Man Show about Burton, The actor who played him Angus Macfadyen would be the right age looks like him and sounds like him.

  • it would be nice if the guy who plays dick would keep his dick clean and not bang lohan. you know, professional courtesy and all. even though she’s been hired to do a show, it’s still important for the community of actors and actresses to impress upon her that it’s not back to where it was, we haven’t forgiven her for lying about giving up booze & drugs, and she’s still got a long ways to go before fans and producers trust her.

  • I don’t think anyone has to worry about who Lindsay Lohan is banging these days. I think her antics have sufficiently scared away anyone who isn’t themselves a hopeless alcoholic. Unless of course the guy goes for the “methy, desperate, and likely contagious” type, he probably won’t touch her. Gerard Butler screwed her and look what happened to him?! If that’s not a giant warning label, nothing is.

    In other news, I think this guy is completely hot. He’s really attractive, and als othe kind of guy you think you might see in real life, ya know?

  • I’m a New Zealander, and Grant Bowler is well-known here, he was on a really popular Kiwi show called Outrageous Fortune, and he’s definitely chraismatic and a bit of a bad-ass. Shame he has to deal with Lindsanity… he was also in Ugly Betty for a bit I think?