A biopic chronicling the early life of legendary rock star Billy Joel is currently in the works, though the pianist himself is not affiliated with the project, calling the film “legally and professionally misleading.”
John Ottman, who edited the recent release Michael, directs Billy and meAdam Ripp is writing the script. For the project, Ottman and Reeb acquired the live rights to Billy Joel’s former manager, Irwin Mazur, as well as John Small, an old friend of Joel’s. But as Joel’s rep says, the singer has been in contact with the filmmakers for several years to make sure they don’t own his rights to the picture.
“Since 2021, interested parties have been officially notified that they do not own the rights to Billy Joel’s life and will be unable to secure the music rights required for this project,” Joel’s representative said in a statement. “Billy Joel did not authorize or support this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without him would be legally and professionally misguided.”
Given the years-long development timeline, it’s unclear whether Osman’s plan for the film was always an unauthorized biopic, or if the hope initially was that Joel would give his blessing. Usman has been cast in some of the biggest biopics of the past decade. Apart from Michael, He also served as editor on the 2018 biographical film bohemian rhapsody, For which he won an Academy Award for Best Editing.
When I called him Hollywood ReporterRip provided some clarity on the biography. “Billy and me “It is specifically not a traditional cradle-to-grave Billy Joel biopic, nor is it based on Billy Joel’s original music catalog. The film is set during Billy’s formative years — before fame, before fortune, before the famous songs that made him the ‘Piano Man.'” Much of the period filmed revolves around Billy’s early years performing cover songs with The Hassles and struggling to find his artistic identity as a young musician.
He continued, “At no time have we claimed to control or own the rights to Billy Joel’s original songs, nor was this film conceived at all around the use of his song catalog. The project has always been conceived as an intimate origin story focusing on the people and relationships surrounding Billy during this specific period of his life.” “The film is told primarily from the point of view of Irwin Mazur, who discovered Billy as a teenager and managed him for approximately seven years. We own the exclusive live-action rights to Irwin Mazur.”
“In addition, we also reserve the life rights to Billy’s lifelong best friend and original drummer, John Small, who is actively involved in the production as a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director. John personally consulted on the script and fully endorses the film as someone who lived and experienced first-hand the events depicted,” Ripp concluded. “We have the utmost respect for Billy Joel and his extraordinary legacy. Our intention has always been to tell an honest, honest story about the early years of a young artist before the world even knew his name.”
diverse News about the project was first reported.
