Alain Badiou, translator of the latest version of Plato’s Republic, is writing a screenplay called “The Life of Plato.” And he wants for its leading role none other than Brad Pitt, supported by Sean Connery as Socrates and Meryl Streep as “Mrs. Plato.”

Writing for Vanity Fair France, Jean Perrier says (via Google Translate):

Incredible but true: Alain Badiou wants to invade Hollywood! More precisely, the communist philosopher is writing the script for a film to its production by U.S. studios. Title: The Life of Plato. The cast: Brad Pitt Plato at different ages. For Mrs. Plato, Meryl Streep. And Socrates, the master of Plato, Sean Connery. Here the cast dreamed thinker of Being and Event. Quite honestly, at first, we thought it was a schoolboy joke post-situ diversion ultimate quest … But Alain Badiou, this is serious. He wants, in his own words, “bring Plato, emblem of universal wisdom in the contemporary temple commercial images, the propaganda machine of American life, the capital of the capitalist corruption Hollywood! “

And while this seemed to be too awesome to be true, a little due diligence (Google) found that Badiou has referenced his plans for a Plato blockbuster featuring Brad Pitt as far back as 2009 (it’s referenced here and here).

Don’t get too excited though. Badiou has yet to actually write the English script, which he plans to do this summer. And actually making the movie? According to Perrier, Badiou is in contact with” friends in Los Angeles, in conjunction with producers.”

I don’t want to be overly skeptical, but unless Joseph McCarthy was right and Hollywood really is full of pinko-Commies (who also read French theory), I’m pretty sure the Hollywood talent needed to secure Brad Pitt does not care about Alain Badiou’s silver screen machinations. We can still dream.

Read the original article in French here.

Read the article in English via Google Translate here.