Jared Leto Confirms he’s playing iconic artist Andy Warhol in upcoming biopic, ‘So Grateful and Excited’

Jared Leto has confirmed that he will be playing Andy Warhol in a forthcoming biopic about the pop art icon. The actor, who played the Joker in The Suicide Squad, announced the long-rumoured casting by sharing pictures of the artist on his Instagram. Jared’s announcement comes a day after what would have been Warhol’s 92nd birthday.

“Yes it’s true I will be playing Andy Warhol in an upcoming film,” Leto wrote in the caption. “And so grateful and excited about the opportunity. ???????? He also wished the Late artist, “Happy belated birthday Andy ????????.” Adding, “We miss you and your genius.”

The new biopic is thought to be the same project Leto was rumoured to be involved in in 2016. Titled Warhol, which is based on Victor Bockris’s book, Warhol: The Biography. And adapted by The Wolf of Wall Street screenwriter, Terrence Winter.

Andy Warhol: The genius

Aside from being an artist, Warhol was also a film director and producer who was known for popularizing what became known as pop art. He made a splash in the 1960s art world by turning American consumerism into art with brightly colored works. Featuring Campbell’s soup cans, the Marilyn Diptych, Coca-Cola bottles and celebrities like Marilyn Monroe. He is also credited for coining the phrase ‘fifteen minutes of fame.’

Openly gay before homosexuality was widely accepted, Andy Warhol created an art studio called, The Factory. It attracted New York society in the sixties, and also managed band, The Velvet Underground.

Warhol’s creations have become highly valuable, with the highest price ever paid for one of his paintings set at $105 million. Which was for his 1963 painting, Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster).

The visionary died in February 1987 at the age of 58 from a sudden irregular heartbeat after undergoing gallbladder surgery.

The Andy Warhol exhibition

Back in April, a new virtual Andy Warhol exhibition was launched. Fans of Warhol were able to take a virtual tour of the pop art icon’s new Tate Modern exhibition. After the gallery was forced to close with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

The cultural giant was the subject of a new retrospective at the London gallery. Featuring his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe, Campbell’s soup cans and lesser known works from the late artist’s, Ladies and Gentlemen series. It also featured a series of videos and commentaries which give further insights into his life and works.

Jared Leto’s previous and upcoming roles

This isn’t the first time Leto will have undergone a complete transformation to portray a character. The actor and 30 Seconds to Mars front-man won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2013. For brilliantly portraying a drug-addicted, HIV-positive trans woman in Dallas Buyers Club.

The actor is also quite popular for his portrayal of the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, as well as the critically acclaimed Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club and American Psycho. Leto will next portray the comic book character Michael Morbius in the thriller Morbius. The film follows the scientist as he attempts to cure himself of a rare blood disorder.