Dave Franco Fancast as Luigi Mangione by Thirsty Fans

Why was Dave Franco trending across multiple social media platforms?

Because he’s a good-looking actor with Italian-American features and thick eyebrows.

And because that set of features also happens to describe Luigi Mangione, the accused UnitedHealth CEO assassin.

Because this story has become so controversial, there are those who are already planning the biopic of Mangione. Most are half-joking about Franco playing him in such a film.

But he’s not the only famous figure who’s become part of the jokes.

In a sense, this isn’t about Dave Franco at all

On Monday, December 9, the internet cried out in heartbreak.

Police claimed to have arrested the gunman who killed UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson on December 4. When Luigi Mangione stopped by a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, an employee believed that he resembled security photos of the supposed shooter and called him in.

Responses are mixed, both about the murder, the alleged assassin, and his arrest. Some are condemning the “class traitor” in the McDonald’s staff who allegedly reported him.

Others are lamenting that Mangione’s social media history is disappointing, labeling the accused assassin a “milkshake duck.”

That is, a person who becomes famous overnight, only for people to later learn that they are in some way not as good of a person as people previously assumed.

The term “milkshake duck” does not normally apply to alleged killers. However, the dismal state of healthcare in the United States and public sentiment towards health insurance CEOs has meant that Thompson’s killing has been polarizing.

CNN reports that a two-page document from Luigi Mangione was found, which included the lines:

“These parasites had it coming. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.” pic.twitter.com/v5d07Q6hRs

— Pop Base (@PopBase) December 9, 2024

Luigi Mangione is the hot new meme

The discovery that the suspect that police identified arguably is super hot did not exactly diminish people’s enthusiasm. What that says about us as a society, we leave to you to decide. Nevertheless, people have been posting what some might consider absolute works of art over how thirsty they are for Mangione.

These thirst posts began long before police accused him of being the shooter. (Police also claim that he had fake I.D. and a two-page manifesto on his person, for whatever that’s worth)

It wasn’t just that the face on the security stills looks fairly handsome. But yes, that helped.

Someone check on Ryan Murphy

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— THEO FORD (@the-theo-ford.bsky.social) December 9, 2024 at 3:31 PM

The memes also stem from social commentary on our deeply broken system. All across social media, people shared health insurance horror stories — particularly about UnitedHealth.

Most of us would like to live in a nation of peace and justice, but defenders of the assassination have pointed out that millionaire CEOs of health insurers are unlikely to face any kind of justice through the legal system.

One little twist of irony is that whichever McDonald’s employee allegedly snitched on Mangione might not be able to afford any meaningful amount of healthcare.

Wait, where does Dave Franco fit into this?

We mention all of this to set the stage for why people are already joking over the seemingly inevitable biopics about this.

Even if Luigi Mangione ends up being exonerated (many social media users are already, perhaps jokingly, offering to alibi him for the night of the killing), his story would be worth telling.

Across TikTok, Bluesky, Tumblr, Reddit, and what remains of Twitter, social media users were suggesting that Dave Franco is a perfect fit for the role. They do have relatively similar facial features.

Dave Franco frantically calling his agent

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— Keith Decent (@keithdecent.bsky.social) December 10, 2024 at 3:02 AM

To be clear, Dave Franco is 39 years old. Handsome though he may be, he may be a bit a long in the tooth to portray someone who was playing Among Us with college buds just a few years ago.

(Yes, we are alluding to NBC’s embarrassingly awful piece on Mangione’s video game history. Unusually high levels of brainrot)

We’d suggest that Franco could definitely portray Mangione on Saturday Night Live. Possibly in a (video game) Luigi costume. Everything in this world is deeply absurd.

But … maybe let’s wait and find out if the police claims are even remotely true before we start casting him in biopics about a very real murder.