Hef Biopic Gets the Go-Ahead

Hugh Hefner gave the go-ahead to a movie about his life. The rights to his story were sold to Brian Grazer some years ago, but the project was just awaiting script approval by the playboy icon. There were many attempts to deliver a script, including a musical version, but they never made it for approval. The Hef-biopic will be directed by Brett Ratner, who last directed the third x-men movie. "Hef came from a puritanical upbringing and reinvented himself to be the godfather of the sexual revolution," Ratner said.

Ratner told Variety: "[Hefner]...used his magazine to advocate civil rights and free speech, and put James Brown on his show Playboy After Dark when they didn't put black performers on national television.

"He broke all kinds of taboos, especially in sexuality.

"I want to show it all, from his first orgy to the stroke that almost killed him in the 1980s."

Brian Grazer is producing the film through Universal pictures. There are no details yet concerning who will play Hef.