Who should play J.D. Salinger in the upcoming biopic?

J.D. Salinger sat for a portrait in 1952 with “The Catcher in the Rye.” (San Diego Historical Society / Getty Images)

Sept. 18, 2013 1:48 PM PT

Shane Salerno, the screenwriter behind the new book and documentary about author J.D. Salinger, is penning the inevitable Salinger biopic for the Weinstein Co., Variety reports. The film will cover the period from World War II through the publication and rapturous reception of “The Catcher in the Rye,” from the time Salinger was 23 to 33 years old. Who should play Jerry, the sensitive, 6-foot-2 man who would become author J.D. Salinger?

Ryan Gosling, who bears some resemblance to J.D. Salinger, has acting chops and a swoon quotient that translate to ticket sales. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Leonardo DiCaprio has played a variety of literary figures -- Jay Gatsby, Romeo, Arthur Rimbaud -- as well as excelling in biopics as Howard Hughes and J. Edgar Hoover. But he might be too busy filming the just-announced biopic of President Woodrow Wilson to make time for Salinger. (Warner Bros. Pictures / Associated Press)

Jesse Eisenberg, the Oscar-nominated star of “The Social Network,” has proved his range with a slew of small indie films. (Ettore Ferrari / EPA)

Ben Affleck will be the next Batman, and he won an Oscar for screenwriting. So why not Salinger? (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has done comedic films and action movies -- and he founded the collaborative creative company, hitRECord, which makes films and books. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Alexander Skarsgard became popular thanks to his role on the series “True Blood,” which was a literary adaptation (in addition to being a sexy show about vampires). (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Admittedly, James Franco is a little more comfortable in the limelight than J.D. Salinger was, but he’s already played poets Allen Ginsberg and Hart Crane, has optioned a number of books, has written a short story collection and a memoir, and is behind the upcoming adaptation of William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying.” Salinger, Franco: It just might happen. (Andrew Medichini / Associated Press)

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