Jack O’Connell to play Alexander McQueen in 2017 biopic

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 26, 2016

Jack O’Connell is to play Alexander McQueen in a biopic of the late designer’s life with filming due to start next spring.

The movie will focus on his highly theatrical autumn/winter 2009 collection that served as a retrospective of his work with looks and themes from the previous 15 years being reworked. It featured exaggerated silhouettes, dogtooth patterns, lots of leather and was built around a palette of black, white and red.

Directed by Andrew Haigh the movie will be based on the 2015 biography of the designer, Blood Beneath the Skin by Andrew Wilson.

O’Connell previously appeared in Unbroken, Starred Up, ’71 and Jodie Foster’s Money Monster.

The film will look at the preparations for the collection that was one of his last. Almost a year after it was shown he killed himself at the age of 40. He was founded dead at his London home shortly after his mother’s death. The autumn/winter 2009 collection had been dedicated to his mother.

Distributor Pathe said: “The film explores McQueen’s creative process in the six months leading up to the show, the laughter that came easily with his family and friends, and the pressure that came with the relentless demands of the fashion industry. The film is a celebration of a visionary genius whose designs transcended fashion to become art.”