Steven Spielberg to team with ‘Star Trek’ star for Gershwin biopic

An announcement is expected later this week that Steven Spielberg’s next directorial project will be about world famous Jewish composer George Gershwin.

Potentially starring as Gershwin will be Zachary Quinto, who last played the young Spock in J.J. Abrams’ megahit “Star Trek.” Though Quinto is not Jewish, he does count himself as a distinctive ethnic breed: half Irish and half Italian. Which means maybe he could pull it off—he broods, has dark hair and inherited the “Star Trek” role originally played by Jewish Leonard Nimoy.

There are always six degrees of everything in Jewish Hollywood – maybe less.

From Nikki Finke:

Quinto will play the famed composer and pianist, who with brother Ira was responsible for more than a dozen Broadway shows before dying at 38. DreamWorks is even supplying accent and dialogue coaches for Quinto, and shooting could begin as soon as April. Doug Wright wrote the script, and Marc Platt and singer/pianist Michael Feinstein are producing. A DreamWorks insider says this is one of 3 projects Spielberg is looking at for his next piccause he’s anxious to get back to work. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an announcement later this week.