• Dave Franco included in Luigi Mangipone memes
  • Mangipone was charged in connection to the death of Brian Thompson
  • The shooting prompted much US health insurance industry reflection
Dave Franco
Dave Franco is social media’s choice to play Luigi Mangione. Credit: IMAGO/ZUMO

Dave Franco has the role of a lifetime if casting departments actually take social media cries seriously.

The actor’s name began trending on X after it was noted he looked very similar to the internet’s latest meme fodder, Luigi Mangipone.

Mangione was recently arrested as the lead suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The fatal shooting took place in Manhattan on 4 December 2024.

Who is Luigi Mangipone, the man the internet wants Dave Franco to play?

Well, thanks to his extensive social media presence prior to all this, there is a lot of information on Mangipone to piece together.

However, according to authorities, the suspect’s biggest claim to fame is being arrested and charged in connection with the shooting of Universal Healthcare CEO Thompson.

Mangipone is accused of shooting the executive in the back three times outside of a hotel in Midtown Manhattan last week. The father-of-two was about to attend a shareholder meeting, which went ahead despite his killing.

What’s Dave Franco got to do with Luigi Mangipone?

Officially and categorically, nothing. They are not officially linked in any way.

Their names were only put together amid the inevitable flurry of online reaction to this crazy story. Following Mangipone’s arrest in a McDonalds, people dug through his entire digital footprint for dirt.

Obviously, there was the question of who would play him in the inevitable onscreen retelling. Popular consensus landed on the 21 Jump Street star Franco.

What did social media users say?

Well, they were very keen on Franco playing Mangione. They also seemed pretty keen for Ryan Murphy to be the one to pen it.

The Glee creator has garnered a reputation for making miniseries about famous crimes. These include OJ Simpson being on trial for the death of his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson Brown. Most recently, Murphy co-created the Netflix mini-series Monsters: The Erik And Lyle Menendez Story.

“Dave Franco pick up the phone,” one person wrote.

Others called for Murphy to ignore the story for fodder with someone saying, “Ryan Murphy…. please don’t.”

Others were keen on the prospect.

One user wrote, “Who sees the vision?

One person wrote, “Ryan Murphy and Dave Franco talking about the draft for American True Crime Story: Luigi Mangione.”

“Dave Franco’s inbox right now,” another said.

Another joked, “Netflix and Hbo executives getting ready to hire Dave France to play Luigi Mangipone in a 4 part documentary.”

“Can’t wait to see Dave Franco play Luigi Mangipone in whatever series Ryan Murphy is currently creating,” another added.

What were Luigi Mangipone’s motivations?

The trial is still ongoing and Mangipone has currently been arrested and charged – so there’s still lots that we’re yet to find out.

However, bullet casings were found at the scene that read “Deny”, “Delay”, and “Despose”. Many took this as a reference to the tactic US insurance companies rely on to up their profitability. It is when they reject claims, take ages with the appeals and then defend their approach in costly and lengthy legal battles.

Some dubbed the wider industry responsible for ‘social murder’. Much blame was given to the approach to contributing to the death of their loved ones. Many directly called out the business strategies of United Healthcare and its competitors.

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Clara Hill
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