Pete Doherty of Libertines, Babyshambles, and drug loving fame has signed on to play the lead role in the upcoming biopic of Alfred de Musset, the celebrated 19th century French poet. The film, scheduled to begin shooting in Paris on December 27th, will be a low-budget French production and will mark the musician's silver screen debut, reports the French Tribune. The English tabloid mainstay will star alongside fellow musician/actor Charlotte Gainsbourg.
The troubled singer expressed reticence concerning his acting capability, admitting, "I don't know if I'm a good actor but they say I am." De Musset's career was cut tragically short at the age of 46 due to heart conditions complicated by alcoholism, an arena where Doherty's personal experience is sure to make up for his lack of acting expertise.
The picture, untitled as of yet, will be based on de Musset's autobiography 'The Confession of a Child of the Century' and chronicles a tumultuous love affair with French writer Georges Sand. Doherty, ardent Francophile and gifted poet with a serious penchant for antiquity and the Romantic alike, seems a fitting choice to portray the famed homme de lettres. Regardless, the role is sure to thrust Doherty back into the media spotlight, thus ending a relatively brief period of media silence.