Social media users are already calling for Dave Franco to portray alleged gunman Luigi Mangione if the chilling slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is ever adapted for the screen.
Mangione was detained by police in Pennsylvania on Monday in connection with the execution-style murder of Thompson, 50, last week.
The 26-year-old ‘anti-capitalist’ Ivy League student was taken into custody after he was recognized as the suspected killer in a McDonald’s in Altoona, around 100 miles east of Pittsburgh.
Mangione’s capture comes after five days on the run.
No sooner had Mangione been identified than social media users began pointing out that he bears a resemblance to Franco, 39, thanks to their thick striking eyebrows, eyes, and grin.
It also didn’t take long for the internet to darkly predicting prolific television writer Ryan Murphy would already be in the process of transforming Mangione’s story into a gripping series for the small screen.
Luigi Mangione was detained by police in Pennsylvania in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Social media users are already calling for Dave Franco to portray alleged gunman Mangione
Taking to X, one said: ‘Dave Franco pick up the phone.’
Another posted: ‘Dave Franco has a role waiting for him once this inevitably becomes a movie.’
A third wrote: ‘Ryan Murphy is drafting an email to Dave Franco as we speak.’
‘Dave Franco’s agent has been on the phone all morning,’ a fourth added.
Echoing a similar sentiment, another said: ‘Ryan Murphy already writing that limited series for Netflix starring Dave Franco.’
‘Netflix and HBO executives getting ready to hire Dave Franco to play Luigi Mangione in a 4 part documentary,’ a sixth penned.
A seventh predicted: ‘Ryan Murphy is going to turn this into a limited series with Dave Franco isn’t he.’
Actor and filmmaker Franco, who is the younger brother of fellow actor James Franco, 46, has starred in the likes of 21 Jump Street (2012), Now You See Me (2013), The Disaster Artist (2017) , and If Beale Street Could Talk (2018).
Many have noted the resemblance between Mangione and Franco
The 26-year-old ‘anti-capitalist’ Ivy League graduate was taken into custody after a McDonald’s employee in Altoona spotted him
Mangione is believed to have killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week
The internet is calling for Franco to play the captured gunman when the story is adapted
More recently, he appeared alongside Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian in the 2024 romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding.
Meanwhile, Murphy has produced several true crime series, including The People v. O. J. Simpson (2016), The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018), and Impeachment (2021).
In 2022, he co-created the divisive series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, before going on to make Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which was released in September.
Mangione is believed to have shot Thompson, 50, in the early hours of December 4 as he was on his way to an investor conference at the New York Hilton.
He then went on the run for five days.
During his time on the loose, cops released a photo of Mangione smiling and had searched a Manhattan hostel where he’s believed to have stayed.
Police have since said that Mangione was not on their radar until the arrest in Pennsylvania today.
He was found with a gun, a silencer, and a manifesto, which outlined his disdain for the healthcare system.
The man was also wearing clothes that matched the description of the suspect.
Mangione attended the coveted University of Pennsylvania, where he gained a degree in engineering in 2020. Before this, he graduated as valedictorian from the Gilman School in Baltimore, where tuition costs nearly $40,000 a year.
