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Dave Franco is responding to the people comparing him to Luigi Mangione.
Franco, 39, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, January 25, where he was asked if anyone had told him about the comparisons people have made between the actor and Mangione’s likenesses. Before Franco could answer, his partner Alison Brie said, “Anyone? Do you mean everyone?”
Franco told the outlet, “I have never received more texts in my life about anything. Anyone who has my phone number has reached out about it.”
Much of the comparisons took place on social media, with people even suggesting Franco should play Mangione in a movie. “I don’t think there have been any official offers,” Brie, 42, jokingly replied. Franco added, “No, no official offers.”
Mangione, 26, is the man suspected of shooting and killing CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson in New York City on December 4, 2024. After a five-day search, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with murder on December 9. He was found with a ghost gun similar to the one believed to be used in Thompson’s murder, as well as a handwritten manifesto criticizing the healthcare industry. Mangione had undergone back surgery in recent years.
Photos of Mangione went viral following his arrest, with a number of celebrities commenting on his looks. Stephen Colbert addressed the internet’s interest in Mangione during a December 2024 episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“This story started tragic, but then it very quickly [became] weird, because when authorities initially released security photos of the suspect, the internet reaction was swift and horny,” Colbert said. “You know [the] guy’s Italian because you could grate parmesan on those abs.”
While a movie adaptation of the event has not been announced, a documentary is already in the works from filmmaker Stephen Robert Morse, which will examine the fatal shooting of Thompson and its aftermath.
“This case is complex and raises important questions about vigilantism, the devastating cost of a privatized healthcare system, and the inevitability of violence when peaceful change is seen as impossible,” Morse told Deadline in December. “My goal is to present a balanced exploration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination, showing all sides of the story while respecting the profound loss of life and its impact on everyone involved.”
Morse, a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker, noted that he expects “the documentary will be memed,” adding that he hoped to “foster a deeper understanding” of the case through the varying perspectives of everyone involved, including Mangione.
