After Bohemian Rhapsody‘s success, and Rocketman‘s expected strong opening, music biopics are set to spring up left and right. MGM have jumped on the bandwagon first, setting up a biopic based on the life of Boy George. Sacha Gervasi (My Dinner With Herve) will write and direct. Kevin King Templeton (both Creed films) will produce.
The currently untitled film will explore Boy George‘s humble beginnings in a working class Irish household through his rise to the top of the international charts in the 80s with Culture Club. A Grammy award-winning artist, he has sold over 100 million singles and over 50 million albums as both a member of the band and a solo artist.
He’s also the author of two bestselling autobiographies and was the songwriter and star of the award winning Broadway/West End musical, Taboo.
Jonathan Glickman, MGM’s Motion Picture Group President, said of the project: “There is no filmmaker better suited than Sacha Gervasi to tell George’s confessional story with the irreverence and emotion it deserves. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with both of them to bring this remarkably honest and wildly entertaining tale to audiences around the world”.
Gervasi called Boy George “a trailblazer and a true original […] George’s life story is wickedly entertaining, yet also poignant and inspiring. I’m both honoured and excited to be the one to guide it onto the big screen”.
Much like IT‘s success led to a heap of Stephen King adaptations, expect this to be followed by announcements of many more music biopics. Bohemian Rhapsody making franchise blockbuster-type money clearly turned producer’s heads, and many studios will be searching for more music stars to put up on the big screen.
#Peace.Love.BoyGeorge
