Aphex Twin’s personal life is shrouded in myths and legends, from the true – like driving around Cornwall in an ex-army “tank” – to the dubious, like the claim that he lived in the middle of Elephant & Castle roundabout. Seems like plenty of fodder for a potential biopic, although the reality would probably be three solid hours of Richard D. James twiddling knobs, soldering, taking tapes apart, and fiddling with machines.
We bring this up because a rumour has been bouncing around the internet for some time that a feature film adaptation of Aphex Twin’s life is on the way, with a lead role in the cards for Willem Dafoe. Does this make any sense? Not really. The Poor Things actor is aged 68; James is 52. This would make a faithful rendition of Mr Twin’s early life challenging, to say the least. But that’s not to say it wouldn’t be amazing, if the right people were on board (Chris Cunningham to direct, anyone?). Dafoe’s unhinged smile alone makes for a once-in-a-lifetime casting opportunity.
Besides, maybe age needn’t be a factor. Maybe Weirdcore could digitally de-age Dafoe to play James in his younger years, coming up through the UK free party scene. Alternatively, the action could jump forward a few decades, to focus on an aged James reminiscing about his life and career amid a festering wasteland filled with neon-furred teddy bears and eerie school kids. I don’t know. Just throwing some ideas around!
Anyway, you may be wondering where the evidence is for this ‘forthcoming’ biopic. The answer: a random Instagram reel on Synth News, which seemingly lifts an image that originally dates back to a Reddit post shared in March. According to this image, the biopic will be produced by A24 and titled Richard D. James, hitting cinemas in 2025.
Once again, this would be huge if true. It’s also… very unlikely for all the reasons listed above, and more. Sorry everyone x