- Ridley Scott is tackling another biopic, but this time, heโll be trading the Emperor of France for disco icons in the Bee Gees (Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb).
- Production was initially on track to go ahead earlier before negotiations between the director and Paramount Pictures came to a halt.
- While casting has yet to be announced, the screenplay has been written by John Logan (Gladiator, Alien: Covenant, The Aviator; as well as Any Given Sunday, The Last Samurai, Skyfall).
With Gladiator II in the rear-view mirror, and principal photography on The Dog Stars having recently wrapped in Italy, Ridley Scott is lining up his next project. And as first announced at CinemaCon 2024, itโll be a Bee Gees biopic with Paramount Pictures.
The currently untitled film had been put on ice earlier this year due to a budgetary contract dispute between the legendary director and the studio. But that appears to have been resolved now, with Scott confirming cameras will begin rolling this coming November.
โItโs really about the brothers and how close the brothers were as a gifted family. Theyโre really very much a family,โ Ridley Scott told Collider.
โI think Barry very much was the leader of them, but then Robin also had the voice initially and was also a very good writer. They were a fulfilled team. It is lovely to see this drawn out from scratch.โ
โWeโll go from eight years old to the end.โ
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As for the matter of the actors tapped to portray Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb, Scott teased: โIโve already got my footprints and handprints, or requests is a better way of putting it, on those names. And no, I canโt say who they are.โ
Based on last reports, this biopic will count the involvement of Bohemian Rhapsody and The Departed producer, Graham King (longstanding President & CEO of production company GK Films); with a screenplay penned by seasoned Scott-and-King collaborator John Logan.
The veteran Hollywood scribeโs notable past writing credits include Gladiator, Alien: Covenant, The Aviator, and Rango, as well as Antoine Fuquaโs forthcoming Michael Jackson biopic starring the King of Popโs nephew Jafaar. Logan has also written Any Given Sunday, The Last Samurai, Skyfall, and Spectre.
Ridley Scottโs biopic will also have the all-important access to Bee Gees recordings thanks to Paramount Picturesโ acquisition of the rights back in 2019; in addition to the life rights to the Gibb family estate. Though given surviving band member/brother Barry Gibb has also signed on as an executive producer, it could very well run into the same curation issues weโve previously outlined about the music biopic genre.
In total, the Bee Gees have sold over 250 million records worldwide โ cementing their status as one of the best artists of all time โ and won five Grammy Awards. Despite the decades that have passed since they first burst onto the scene, their unmistakable pop falsetto and disco-inspired harmonies can still be heard in just about every corner of the globe to this day.
Keep an eye out here for the updates.
