I’d heard rumors about this, but decided to wait for some confirmation before posting anything here. I guess this is as close to a confirmation as we can get right now. in an interview with USA Today, posted on their website yesterday, Lee Daniels said the following, regarding his upcoming film, Selma.

“I had to do a lot of homework on the script, and I spent a lot of time writing. I feel like I’m caught up a little bit with that [...] I have to really start casting the movie because we’re shooting it soon. the only person I’ve nailed in for sure is Hugh Jackman.”

Say what? Hugh Jackman? What role in Selma could Jackman possibly play? the 2 main characters in the film, from all we’ve posted about the film thus far are, Martin Luther King Jr and Lyndon B. Johnson. We’ve already heard that Robert DeNiro is in consideration to play George Wallace, the then governor of Alabama and 4-time presidential candidate, who was vehemently in favor of keeping his state racially segregated, provoking MLK’s famous marches between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama in the early 1960s – a period Selma, the film, will cover.

So, might Jackman be playing LBJ, then? That would be a bit of a stretch wouldn’t it? Based on the casting sheet I saw last November, I don’t recall any other role that a star, the caliber of Jackman, could play. I don’t see him taking on some bit part. unless the casting sheet has changed since I last laid eyes on it. LBJ was in his mid-to-late 50s during the period that the film takes place; Jackman is 41, and there’s absolutely no resemblance. unless we’re talking a make-up job here.

Am I missing something here?

According to the USA Today interview, Daniels hopes to start shooting the film in May – just 2 months away – and they still haven’t cast the major roles yet? It’s crunch time baby! They keep pushing it back, if previous reports have been accurate. At the time I saw the casting notice, it was stated that production would begin in January.

Shadow And Act » Hugh Jackman Cast In Lee Daniels' “Selma”