just-kids

Zosia Mamet of 'Girls' to play Patti Smith in Robert Mapplethorpe biopic from the director of DiG!

the real Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe
Patti Smith Just KidsPatti Smith Just Kids

Ondi Timoner, who spent years filming The Brian Jonestown Massacre for rock doc DiG!, will make her non-documentary feature debut with Maplethorpe, about acclaimed and controversial artist Robert Maplethorpe who died in 1989. Deadline reports that Matt Smith who played Doctor Who (the eleventh Doctor, the one with the bow tie) has been cast as Maplethorpe, and Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna on HBO’s Girls) will play his friend and onetime lover, Patti Smith. Says Timoner:

After several years of developing this script and searching across the globe for the perfect talent to embody the rich and layered roles of visionary artists Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith, I am ecstatic to have found Matt Smith and Zosia Mamet. They will bring indelible passion, raw humanity, and authenticity to this timeless, inspiring story.

The film, which has the backing of the Mapplethorpe Foundation, will start filming this summer. As you may remember, Patti Smith is developing Just Kids, her memoir about her early days in NYC with Mapplethorpe, as a miniseries for Showtime.

Speaking of Girls, the series will be back with its fifth season, premiering Sunday, February 21 on HBO.