Robert Pattinson Still In Line For Jeff Buckley Role

Robert Pattinson is still the favourite to play Jeff Buckley in the upcoming biopic of the tragic singer.

Penn Badgley, best known for his role on Gossip Girl, was reported to have been cast in the lead role, but producers have insisted that there has been any official casting.

The Twilight star has long harboured a desire to play Buckley, previously insisting that he was "obsessed" with landing the role.

Co-producer Orion Williams told the Los Angeles Times: "Penn is not involved in the film at all. It's crazy how these stories get out. (The producers) are all very unified in our search to find the perfect person to play Jeff.

"When you have a story about an individual like Jeff you get a lot of interest because his life was so impactful and so short. We're being very careful about it as we move forward. It takes a while to perfect this type of film. You've got to do it for the right reasons."

Williams added that preliminary talks with Pattinson have been scheduled, but the casting process won't begin unitl October.

James Franco, Jared Leto and James Marsden have all shown an interest in playing the singer, who drowned in the Wolf River after being caught in the wake of a passing boat, aged 30 in 1997.