A film about the extraordinary life of Conor McGregor would make for a great watch, and Jared Leto has offered to take on the lead role.
The journey of ‘The Notorious’ has been one of the most captivating stories in sporting history. He’s certainly had one hell of a ride from claiming welfare in Dublin to reaching the pinnacle of the UFC before ultimately spiralling back down the mountain and punching old men in bars.
Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t call McGregor boring.
Although his story is the stuff of legend, fans have no idea of the struggles he would’ve gone through during his rise to stardom. We can try and fathom his reality, but it’s impossible without seeing it play out before our eyes. Although it’s not exactly like the real thing, a motion picture would allow fans to experience his fantastic adventure from a struggling apprentice to a UFC two-division king.
And one man thinks he’s the best actor to bring this remarkable tale to life.
Read: Robbie Lawler’s legendary threat to Conor McGregor is still bone-chilling.
Jared Leto wants to play Conor McGregor
During the promotion for his upcoming movie ‘Morbius,’ the American admitted that he’d love the opportunity to portray the sporting icon.
He told Extra TV: “If we do the UFC movie if I was younger, I’d play Conor McGregor. I got the beard. What Conor does and what these guys and gals do is just extraordinary. I’m too old to do Conor probably, but you never know.
“We could maybe use some CGI.”
The 50-year-old Oscar winner is highly respected in Hollywood. The devoted professional is a renowned method actor who stays in character throughout the entire shooting of his projects. While playing the Joker in Suicide Squad he harassed his fellow castmates to become the clown prince of crime, giving Margot Robbie a dead rat and showing others a bullet-ridden pig carcass.
McGregor likes the idea of Leto telling his story on the big screen.
He tweeted: “Jared Leto, I invite you to come and practice the part with me!”
But there’s still one question to answer. Is the ageing actor right for the role?
Can Jared Leto capture Conor McGregor correctly?
A problem that modern film fans often bemoan is how poorly beloved books and games are adapted. Instead of carefully selecting the person best suited to these iconic roles, they pick the star who’ll attract the most eyeballs, without caring for whether it’s the correct decision for the quality of the film.
An example of this is Lee Child’s best-selling book series ‘Jack Reacher’. The novels paint the main character as a humongous 6 ft 5 monster of a man, capable of snapping the average human being in half in the blink of an eye. So obviously, it would make sense to cast one of Hollywood’s plethora of muscular and talented actors. But somehow, they landed on the comparatively titchy Tom Cruise.
However, sometimes an incorrect casting on paper can actually work out on screen. When Sony gifted the role of Nathan Drake to Tom Holland, Uncharted fans went berserk. The mild-mannered Brit didn’t seem to have any of the qualities of the rugged video game character. His performance also left reviewers cold.
Therefore Leto getting older doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not capable of surprising us. Granted, he doesn’t scream Mcgregor, but it might not matter.
As he mentioned himself, CGI is becoming better by the day. Most recently, the special effect took about 40 years off Star Wars’ Mark Hamill, who needed to be much younger to reprise his role in ‘The Book of Boba Fett.’
Not to mention that the 50-year-old’s method acting would see him slowly lose himself in the camouflage of the Irish character. He wouldn’t play McGregor – he would become McGregor. It’s the reason why his performances have dazzled audiences for over two decades. He’s capable of embodying any character. The only negative is that his castmates would have to put up with him imitating the Dubliner every single day over a likely tedious filming process.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
