Billy Zane has displayed an uncanny resemblance to Marlon Brando, going all the way back to Dead Calm, where he looked like him in his On the Waterfront days. Zane is now able to capitalize on doppleganging the star of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now in Waltzing with Brando. Zane was first cast as Marlon Brando all the way back in 2019 – and things have been pretty much silent for the bulk of the five years that followed. The movie hit the Cannes market and now, VMI Worldwide has released the first trailer.
Billy Zane’s Marlon Brando is from a pivotal era in the legendary actor’s career, with Waltzing with Brando taking place in the late ‘60s into the early ‘70s, when his work shifted dramatically and he reinvented himself. Appropriately, Zane has entirely reinvented his look to portray Brando. Photos made available courtesy of Deadline fresh out of Cannes show Zane on the island of Tetiaroa, which Brando purchased in the 1960s when he had that “private island money.” Brando took to the region while filming 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty; other key movies that will also be covered are The Godfather and Last Tango in Paris. One image shows Zane as Brando during this time, complete with longer hair, turtleneck and blazer.
There wasn’t a specific tone conveyed with the descriptions and leaked set photos, but the recreations looked to be second to none. It could easily be assumed that it would be a biopic of some sort, but the trailer would surprisingly have a lighter comedic tone than expected. Waltzing with Brando stars Billy Zane, Jon Heder, Richard Dreyfuss and Tia Carrere. Bill Fishman helms the film as the director.
Billy Zane may seem like an oddball choice to play Marlon Brando but he does have a fascination with the two-time Oscar winner, telling Entertainment Weekly, “The man was a recluse who moved to an island, yet is up all night on shortwave radio [and] can’t sleep alone. He had many children. It’s like, what led to that? He’s full of contradictions. That was touching to me.”