Douglas to romance Damon in `Liberace`

Los Angeles: Hollywood star Michael Douglas will be romancing Matt Damon as he is set to tackle the lead in a film biography of the campy musical performer Liberace. Born Wladziu Valentino, the flamboyant, piano-playing Liberace, nicknamed "Mr. Showmanship" and "Glitter Man," was a staple of early 1950s television, and was an institution in Las Vegas until his death from AIDS in 1987, People magazine online reported.

"We`ve already done some costume and wardrobe tests on Michael, and they`re very, very, very good. I swear to you, Michael amazed me. He crushed it," director Steven Soderbergh was quoted telling a French newspaper at the Deauville Film Festival. Soderbergh added that Damon has agreed to portray Scott Thorsen, the assistant-boyfriend whose 1982 palimony suit for USD 110 million publically outed the entertainer. "Matt accepted the challenge. But I have to say I`d already convinced him to gain 30 pounds for The Informant," Soderbergh said. Liberace will be scripted by writer/director Richard Lagravense, who was responsible for Clint Eastwood`s `The Bridges of Madison County`. Soderbergh said the budget will allow him to re-stage segments of Liberace`s spectacular stage act, which often involved elaborate stunts such as flying or driving to his piano bench in a Rolls-Royce. Bureau Report