We may be deep in the comic book movie age with no end in sight, but over the last year or so, it would seem that we are also entering the music biopic age. Beloved musical artists are getting the feature film biopic treatment at what seems to be an ever-increasing clip. Case in point, producer Graham King has found his follow-up to the massive hit Bohemian Rhapsody. He will be doing a Bee Gees biopic next.
Graham King, who produced that multiple Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury biopic, is teaming with Paramount Pictures and producer-financier Sister to bring the story of the Bee Gees to the big screen. According to Deadline, Paramount purchased the life rights to the Gibb family estate on behalf of Graham King, so unlike a film like the upcoming David Bowie movie Stardust, this Bee Gees biopic will be able to use the group’s classic songs in the movie.
The London-based Sister Pictures, in its first domestic project, will come aboard the Bee Gees biopic as a financier and producing partner. There are no details on the project beyond the fact that a deal is done and it's happening. So at this early stage, we’ll have to wait to find out who is cast and who will direct it, but it seems that Paramount and Sister and Graham King will look to find a writer quickly and get this movie underway.
Whoever writes the Bee Gees biopic, he or she will have plenty of rich story to mine. The Bee Gees are one of the best-selling music groups of all-time, with over 220 million records sold and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The pop group, consisting of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, began singing together in the late 1950s, but had a career resurgence when they wrote songs for the 1977 John Travolta classic Saturday Night Fever, including “Night Fever” and “Staying Alive.”
The only surviving member of the Bee Gees is Barry Gibb, and depending on the tack the biopic takes, it could certainly explore some of the group’s personal tragedies. Although the Bee Gees were made up of three brothers, they had a younger brother, Andy Gibb, a successful music artist in his own right who died at the age of 30.
With the life rights secured and a catalog of classic hits at the film’s disposal, Graham King has some solid components for another hit music biopic. Bohemian Rhapsody was lightning in a bottle and had the benefit of covering a band that remains incredibly popular, so achieving another $903 million at the box office seems unlikely.
Nevertheless, just because a music biopic doesn’t make close to $1 billion doesn’t mean it isn’t a success. Paramount did well with Rocketman earlier this year, so the studio clearly sees value in pursuing another film in this genre. We can add this Bee Gees biopic to a list that includes the aforementioned Stardust and Baz Lurhmann’s Elvis biopic among others. If your favorite music artist hasn't gotten a biopic yet, just wait.
No release date has been set for the Bee Gees biopic. For movies that do have release dates, check out our 2019 premiere guide.
