Here’s an odd casting rumour that’s been floating around out there on the web recently that may or may not be true. We all know Hayden Panettiere as “the cheerleader” from Heroes, and like many of the show’s cast members, it’s looking like she will have a very promising career ahead of her afterwards. For the most part, her resume consists of a lot of TV work with a few small movie roles cropping up recently, but according to an anonymous report (I haven’t been able to locate the exact source), she will be starring as Wendy O. Williams, the lead singer of the punk band The Plasmatics in an upcoming biopic. Williams was known for her political activism and outrageous stage theatrics which included nudity and simulated sex, and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 48. It certainly seems like the exact opposite of Panettiere’s wholesome character on Heroes… but maybe that’s the point?

Producer Jason Weinberg supposedly had this to say: “[Williams] was all about rebellion and shocking people… Why not the Williams legacy shock the world again with Hayden?” In theory this makes sense, although something tells me that both punk rockers and Panettiere fans will be none too pleased about the announcement. That is unless, she is required to do some nude scenes in the film, in which case I’m sure pretty much everyone will be happy. Production is slated for March 2008 with a 2009 release date planned; time will tell if this rumour is actually bogus or not. What do you think… would it be a good career move or bad one?