Nutsy leftwing conspiracy-theory-loving Hollywood director Oliver Stone repudiated Hugo Chavez’s claim that Stone would be making a movie, all about him.

And that’s not surprising. Stone is trying to go mainstream in the U.S. film scene, cranking out a watchable, straightforward, decent portrayal of 9/11 cops in his upcoming World Trade Center movie, which is probably well worth seeing when it arrives in August.

Even if it were a crappy movie, I’d go see it anyway, based on Stone’s public repudiation of the brutal Venezuelan dictator this week. That stung Chavez hard, in a way the dictator didn’t expect.

After two weeks of making a spectacle of himself abroad, Hugo Chavez announced with great glee on his weekly Sunday variety show that Stone would be doing a movie about the events of 2002, when Chavez was briefly thrown out of power. It was just the kind of epic to salve the vast ego of Hugo Chavez. Not only that, Castro got some hagiography from Stone awhile back, and Chavez wanted a matching set like his Master In Havana. But it was not to be. In fact, Stone repudiated Chavez publicly for his claim, making him look like a fool. Academic Elephant at Elephants in Academia has the funniest take on this, writing:

The movie project was sheer Chavez fantasy–the sort of thing a geeky teenager might dream up to impress girls who won’t date him.

For all we know, Stone was talking to Chavez privately about this, and maybe still mulling it. But when Chavez spilled the beans, opening his big mouth, Stone had to say something.

Why did Stone kick Chavez in the teeth?

Suddenly, Stone realizes that the American public doesn’t want more conspiracy theories, doesn’t want more communist dictator worship, and doesn’t want Hugo Chavez. Money talks in Hollywood, and Chavez wasn’t where it was at.

It’s not that Hollywood hasn’t noticed Chavez. Miguel has a hilarious mockup of the cast of such a flick, as picked by Hugo.

It is just that Chavez has other uses to Hollywood than epic hero.

Like videogame villain. That’s where Hollywood sees the real cash to be made off Hugo. They’ve started casting him as an oil-maddened power-crazed dictator who’s just waiting for you to zap him with your Gameboy. A dirty job, but someone has to take out the trash. That’s Hugo.

As I have said before, Hollywood is a lagging indicator in some ways, ultraconservative when it comes to trends, because it wants to capture the widest part of the mass market. Believe it or not, it’s democratically revolutionary, in its own weird way, to watch what goes down here in Hollywood.

When Chavez starts sinking to Hollywood villain levels, it means he’s is well past his prime. It means Hollywood’s got a ‘sell’ recommendation on him. He’s headed for a cell with Manuel Noriega. He’s a bug waiting for the zapper and no question, it won’t be long before he gets it.

Fausta has the most comprehensive roundup of this event here and here. Don’t miss her definitive photo of Hugo Chavez For The Ages here.