James Marsden & Michael C Hall star in The Dead Circus
This sounds like a really interesting “fictitious” film, complete with Charles Manson and the mysterious death of singer Bobby Fuller in 1966.
We just learned that he might become one of The Three Stooges for Bobby and Peter Farrelly’s long-gestating big screen adaptation, but now James Marsden is taking on an even stranger role. Deadline reports the actor will play infamous criminal Charles Manson in The Dead Circus, a drama that crafts a fictitious storyline surrounding the mysterious death of I Fought The Law singer Bobby Fuller. Joining Marsden in the peculiar film will be Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”) and Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter). Adam Davenport wrote the script and will also make his directorial debut with the project.
The events surrounding Fuller’s death are a real-life mystery, and this film aims to create a story around that event. After Fuller’s song became a hit back in 1966, a week later the 23-year old singer was found dead. Though his death was ruled a suicide, it seems a little strange that his body showed signs of being battered, and gasoline had been poured down his throat. The story follows a grieving screenwriter (a role not yet cast) who attempts to solve the mystery of the singer’s death. Meanwhile, Leo will play a Manson Family matriarch who comes out of hiding five years after the murder to reveal to the writer that the answer to his questions might be found in 16 mm snuff films buried in Death Valley. Finally, Hall is playing one of Fuller’s managers.