Robert Pattinson was to said to have coveted the role, James Franco was said to be the front-runner for it, but in the end, Gossip Girl’s Penn Badgley has won the role of Jeff Buckley in an upcoming biopic. R-Patz and his legions of fans are apparently “devastated,” but we here at SW are excited for Badgley. Badgley, who’s affectionately referred to around SW offices as “Spider-Dan,” is a native of sorts–he spent his childhood in Tacoma, attending University Place’s Charles Wright Academy and honing his dramatic chops with Seattle Children’s Theatre–ergo, out of Pacific Northwest loyalty, we’re rooting for him, Twi-hards be damned. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.