Jonah Hill and Martin Scorsese are teaming up once again after a successful collaboration on The Wolf Of Wall Street. The legendary director will helm a biopic about legendary rock group Grateful Dead for Apple, with Hill playing the group’s frontman, Jerry Garcia.
The Grateful Dead’s formation dates back to the 1960s Bay Area when they were The Warlocks in the heart of the psychedelics era. They recorded albums and toured for years, with faithful Deadhead fans following them throughout all over the country for lengthy jam sessions. Garcia died in 1995, though surviving members have carried on performing in various incarnations.
It’s unclear right now what period of the band’s career the film will pull from, but we do know that the remaining members have given Scorsese full rights to their discography for use throughout the film.
Scorsese has shown an interest in the band before, having executive produced the documentary Long Strange Trip. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (American Crime Story: Impeachment) are penning the script.
This is Scorsese’s second project with Apple, with crime drama Killers Of The Flower Moon currently in post-production. He signed a first-look deal with Apple back in 2020 and seems to be getting everything he wanted – big budgets, big stars, and the ability to make whatever project he wants. Apple are surely happy to have such a legendary name on their roster that they can easily market.
Any new Scorsese project is a big deal in the film world, and it will be interesting to see him not only collaborate with Hill again, but also how he tackles the music biopic genre, which has seen a huge renaissance since the massive box office success of Bohemian Rhapsody. Expect Scorsese to show everyone else how it’s done.
#Peace.Love.GratefulDead
