Val Kilmer has played rock star Jim Morrison, porn star John Holmes, Batman and the voice of Moses -- but he may not be playing Joseph Smith.
A publicist for the actor confirmed Tuesday that Kilmer will not star in "The Prophet," Utah filmmaker Richard Dutcher's upcoming biography of the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kilmer's publicist did not elaborate on the reasons for Kilmer's withdrawal.
However, a spokeswoman for Dutcher, who is in Los Angeles this week, said Kilmer and the producers of "The Prophet" are still talking. "The negotiations are between the actor and the producer," spokeswoman Mary Jane Jones said Tuesday.
Several issues may prevent Kilmer from playing Smith. One is the actor's schedule; Kilmer is slated to play Philip of Macedonia in "Alexander," Oliver Stone's epic biography of Alexander the Great. Another is the daunting task of playing a noted religious figure.
MSNBC.com gossip columnist Jeannette Walls, who reported Kilmer's withdrawal from "The Prophet" Monday, quoted a source close to Kilmer, who said, "There was a lot of controversy about [Kilmer] because he doesn't exactly have a saintly image, either onscreen or off. But some people thought it was good casting because Smith was charismatic and quite the ladies man."
Dutcher mentioned Kilmer as his Smith two weeks ago, when he announced that his two-year quest to bring Smith's story to film was back on track -- thanks to support from Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller. Miller agreed to help finance "The Prophet" and "God's Army 2," the sequel to Dutcher's 2000 hit that launched the Mormon Cinema genre.
Few actors have played Smith on film. Charles Moll -- now known as Richard Moll, Bull from "Night Court" -- took the role in the 1977 film "Brigham," and a wooden Tim Gail portrayed him in "Legacy," a 1993 LDS Church-produced film that played in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. Most notably, though, was horror maven Vincent Price's portrayal in the 1940 frontier epic "Brigham Young."
"Vincent Price was outstanding, and was really the highlight of that film, even though he was in it less than 30 minutes," said James D'Arc, curator of the motion picture collection at Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library.
D'Arc said actors trying to play Smith could take some pointers from Price.
"A quiet inner strength is something Price exuded in his role, and yet a great deal of passion," D'Arc said. "When it was required, [Smith] could act and could be very decisive, but was essentially a very peaceable soul."
D'Arc said the role also would require the universality of Sir Thomas More in "A Man for All Seasons" and "that air of mysticism" that T.E. Lawrence displayed in "Lawrence of Arabia."
"I can't think of anybody, quite frankly, who could assay the Joseph Smith part," D'Arc said. "A lot of it would have to do with where the script goes with him, what kind of a character the writer has formed. . . . How is he painted? What aspects of his life are they emphasizing? And for me, casting has to go from there."
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...And there will be more from the man credited with starting it all, Richard Dutcher. He begins shooting "God's Army 2" in January and "The Prophet" immediately after.
Richard Dutcher/ Director & Writer, "God's Army 2" & "The Prophet": "F. Murray Abraham is on board,pending schedule and everything else, of course, as Governor Thomas Ford. And Val Kilmer is on board, pending again (edit) to play the part of Joseph Smith."...