The Crowded Room: James Cameron & Leonardo DiCaprio Were Interested Long Before Apple
Viewers can currently catch Tom Holland in "The Crowded Room," a mystery suspense series about Danny Sullivan (Holland) being investigated for his involvement in a bizarre crime. While it may be shocking for some to see Peter Parker involved in such heavy, psychological drama, it may come as an even greater surprise that the project has been in development since the early 1990s. What's more, it was originally developed by James Cameron, and years later, "Titanic" star Leonardo DiCaprio was interested in taking the role of Danny Sullivan.
Per a Hollywood Reporter story on "The Crowded Room," Daniel Keyes' non-fiction book "The Minds of Billy Milligan" was adapted by James Cameron in screenplay form. Cameron was the one who came up with the idea of calling it "The Crowded Room," and after he lost interest in the project, other filmmakers took it up for brief spells, including Joel Schumacher and David Fincher. It never got off the ground, though — not even after DiCaprio came on board to star.
It wasn't until Akiva Goldsman, who is perhaps best known for his script for the somewhat thematically similar "A Beautiful Mind," developed "The Crowded Room" that it finally materialized.
Akiva Goldsman was the one who finally brought The Crowded Room to the screen, but as a fictionalized story
One big difference between Akiva Goldsman's take on "The Crowded Room" and previous attempts to tackle the material is that Tom Holland stars as Danny Sullivan, a fictionalized version of Billy Milligan, the titular subject of the true story that inspired "The Crowded Room." This allows for more dramatic freedom, generally, but also for the nature of the character's crimes to be changed from a series of rapes to a more mysterious (and sympathetic) victimless crime that holds within it the show's big midpoint twist.
The Hollywood Reporter article says that Goldsman was attracted to the theme of how trauma from a young age affects the brain of a young man. And as the project got further along, he made the decision to fictionalize it, turning Billy Milligan into Danny Sullivan.
Whatever your opinion of the Apple TV+ series now streaming, it's fascinating to imagine what film versions of "The Crowded Room" directed by James Cameron or David Fincher or starring Leonardo DiCaprio might have been like.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).