New James Dean Film Casts Mitchell Robertson as Alleged Gay Lover

A new indie film about James Dean's personal life has found its co-star. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mitchell Robertson, known for Netflix's 'Half Man', has been cast as Bill Bast in the project 'One Hand Tied'.

Brandon Flynn is already attached to portray the Hollywood icon. Robertson's character, Bast, was Dean's UCLA roommate and close friend. The film is based on Bast's 2006 memoir, where he claimed the two men had a secret romantic relationship.

Writer-director Guy Guido tells THR the script spans from Bast and Dean's first meeting to the actor's death in 1955. The focus will be on their evolving relationship and Bast grappling with his sexuality in the 1950s.

Guido said he sought an actor with 'vulnerability and an innate likability' for the role, which he found in Robertson. The director acknowledged the casting news has sparked mixed reactions, as some are attached to a 'particular image' of Dean.

Producers are still casting other roles, including the part of Bast's mother. The film is produced by Steven J. Wolfe of '(500) Days of Summer' fame and former Fox Searchlight executive Flavia Amon.