Singer and songwriter Jaafar Jackson is to portray his uncle Michael Jackson in the upcoming biopic 'Michael,' directed by Antoine Fuqua, Deadline reports. Lionsgate movie is expected to depict the complicated legacy of King of Pop, “including his most iconic performances that led him to become the greatest entertainer of all time.” The film is being made with the cooperation of the Michael Jackson estate. 'Michael' will be the first major film role for the 26-year-old Jaafar Jackson, the second-youngest son to songwriter, producer, and Jackson 5 member Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson's brother. John Logan, who wrote 'Gladiator,' 'Skyfall' and 'Spectre,' is penning the screenplay.

A new David Bowie documentary 'Moonage Daydream', directed by Brett Morgen (best known for the Kurt Cobain doc, Montage of Heck) and the first Bowie doc to have the approval of the late musician’s estate, is set to screen at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The film is described as both a concert documentary and an “experimental cinematic odyssey” that will track Bowie’s life and career, delving into his work as a musician, but also his multidisciplinary approach to his craft. Ethan Coen’s doc, 'Jerry L

Warner Bros. has acquired 'What’s Going On', a new biopic on Marvin Gaye from Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, which will be directed by Allen Hughes ('Menace II Society', 'The Book of Eli'). The script was written by poet and playwright Marcus Gardley. The film has the full support of Gaye’s estate and Motown Records, and will feature music from the singer’s catalog. Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has committed a budget north of $80 million for the film, which would mark the biggest budget ever for an African American musical biopic.

Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson is set to play Joe Ramone in a new biopic 'I Slept With Joey Ramone', based on the memoir of the same name by Joey Ramone's brother, Mickey Leigh, who is also one of the film’s executive producers. Davidson and his frequent collaborator Jason Orley also penned the script for the film, with Orley also directing the biopic, Rolling Stone reports. Mickey Leigh shared a bed with Joe Ramone, as well as childhood, family, and a lifetime.

'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' comes down to what one single song does to the life of the singer, to the society, and the system. LA Times recalls what really happened when federal officers prosecuted Billie Holiday because of the song about a lynching in the American South - the powerful 'Strange Fruit', with the excuse of fighting against the drugs. Critics don't really like the movie.

Prince's former lover and backing singer Sheila E. has announced that she’s making a biopic about her relationship with the musician - “Coming soon…Sheila E. to release ‘Girl Meets Boy’, a film telling the beautiful story of her time with Prince. Stay Tuned”, Spin reports. Sheila E. first met Prince at a concert in the late ’70s, years later she ended up contributing vocals during the 'Purple Rain' recording sessions as well as opening Prince’s 'Purple Rain' tour when the two developed a fleeting romantic relationship. They became briefly engaged after Prince proposed in 1987, but by the 1988-89 Lovesexy Tour, their relationship fractured. Over the years they remained close friends who would periodically join forces on-stage.

"By trying to tell the entire life story of a rock legend in less time than they would’ve spent onstage most nights, they inevitably come across like facile ‘Greatest Hits’ tributes" - NME's Mark Beaumont argues in favor of music biopics without any of the subject's music, because - "Cinema rarely turns out convincing biopic performances, so why not cut the cringe, ditch the hits and concentrate on the stories instead? ... In fact, I’m all for more musical biopics without any music. After all, why limit cinema to the biopics of listenable bands?".

"The beginning, near bankruptcy, pills, thrills, spats, prats, success, excess and breakdowns" - goes the synopsis of 'Creation Stories', the biopic about legendary UK indie label Creation Records, made by the 'Trainspotting' team of director Danny Boyle and writer Irvine Welsh. It is out in March, and the trailer is out now (watch it below). Ewan Bremner, who played Spud in the 'Trainspotting' films, stars as Creation's larger-than-life founder Alan McGee, who brought us My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, Primal Scream...

'The United States vs. Billie Holiday', a new film about the life of legendary singer, is coming to Hulu in February, and the trailer is out now (watch it below). It is directed by Lee Daniels, stars R&B singer Andra Day in the titular role, and it “unapologetically presents the icon’s complicated, irrepressible life”. Screenplay is written by Suzan-Lori Parks.

Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell will be the subject of a new biopic called 'Black Days'. Actor John Holiday, who previously played Carl Perkins in the 'Walk the Line' film, will take the lead role as the late grunge icon. In other Cornell related news, the latest edition of Mind Wide Open, the weekly mental-health series hosted by Chris Cornell’s daughter Lily Cornell Silver, had Eddie Vedder as the guest. Pearl Jam singer opened up about grief, empathy, and activism, while also reflecting on his fallen peers.

Ian Fraser 'Lemmy' Kilmister of the iconic Motörhead is the subject of the new biopic as a "vanguard and talisman of the loudest, dirtiest and most liberated rock ’n’ roll band in the world", according to The Hollywood Reporter. The upcoming film, 'Lemmy,' is to be directed by Greg Olliver, who spent three years following Motörhead and Kilmister for the 2010 documentary of the same name. The film will cover Lemmy’s youth in England, his stints as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and a member of Hawkwind, and his legendary 40-year run as the driving force behind Motörhead. Loudwire suggests 13 actors who could play Lemmy (aren't they way to pretty to play him?!?).

The trailer gives a glimpse into the highs, the lows and the empowerment the iconic trio faced as they rose to fame, Spin reports. Cheryl “Salt” James is played by G.G. Townson in the three-hour miniseries, Sandra “Pepa” Denton is portrayed by Laila Odom, while Monique Paul is DJ Spinderella. Mario Van Peebles will direct the miniseries.

Lucy Boynton is to play British singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull in the forthcoming biopic 'Faithfull'. Boynton’s last film role was the Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody', in which she played Freddie Mercury’s partner Mary Austin. 'Faithfull' will be directed by Ian Bonhôte (author of documentary 'McQueen') and follow the singer’s tumultuous life in the public eye, from teen pop stardom to being a homeless drug addict and her triumphant return.

Graham King, producer of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', the hit movie about the life of Freddie Mercury and Queen, is to create a biopic about the Bee Gees, Deadline reports. Paramount has purchased the rights to the Bee Gees songs on behalf of King, and will therefore be able to use them in the movie. King scored […]

"Shaun Ryder is the son of John Lennon, Johnny Rotten with a few kilos of John Belushi stamped in" - writer/director Matt Greenhalgh ('Control', 'Nowhere Boy', 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool'), says about his new project 'Twisting My Melon', the musical biopic of Shaun Ryder, of "the last true working-class band — the Happy Mondays". "Since […]

Guardian reviews new Bruce Springsteen biopic 'Blinded By the Light': "Another crowd-pleasing but emotionally sincere tale of teenage multicultural strife, but it is also yet another movie celebrating the power of classic, white-guy rock. It is beginning to feel like a conspiracy: repackaging the 20th-century rock canon to a generation who don’t really listen to […]

Austin Butler has won the coveted lead role in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic of Elvis Presley, beating out Harry Styles, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who were also reportedly in the running. The film will be shot early next year in Queensland, Australia and it will trace Presley’s elevation to a level of […]

Paramount is working on an animated movie about Spice Girls, with all five members of the original band giving their voices (Victoria Beckham rarely does anything with the rest). The plot sees the quintet become superheroes, it will be produced by 90s music mogul Simon Fuller, and it is written by Karen McCullah and Kiwi […]

Sacha Gervasi is writing and producing a forthcoming feature film based on Boy George’s life, from growing up in an Irish a working-class family and eventually rising to stardom with the ’80s band Culture Club. Gervasi tells Deadline that Boy George is “a trailblazer and a true original. George’s life story is wickedly entertaining, yet […]

Elton John wrote a lovely article for the Observer, about his childhood, parents, bringing up, his own family, and how he doesn't really like seeing himself on the screen. He describes how the movie producers wanted a watered-down version of his life - "Some studios wanted to tone down the sex and drugs so the […]

Sony Pictures has won a bidding war for the movie rights to a new Broadway musical featuring Britney Spears' hit songs, Deadline reports. The stage version of 'Once Upon a One More Time' premiers in autumn, but the hype surrounding the show has already piqued the interests of movie executives. The fantasy musical imagines Cinderella, […]

YouTube singing star Anthony Vincent has a cameo role in Mötley Crüe biopic 'The Dirt', so in honor of that release he sang their song 'Kickstart My Heart' in 17 different styles - Led Zeppelin, Deftones, Dean Martin, RHCP etc (here's the video). The video is funny, movie, it seems so, isn't: "'The Dirt' is […]

The upcoming Elton John biopic 'Rocketman' is expected to receive an “R” rating, it will include an “intimate love scene” between Taron Egerton, who play John, and Richard Madden, who plays John’s former manager and lover, John Reid. John’s past drug use will also be depicted. It is not yet finished, but it is expected […]

The new Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is now the highest-grossing musician biopic of all time - the film surpassed $600 million at the global box office. It has outperformed previous music biopic record holder 'Straight Outta Compton', as well as breakout hit 'The Greatest Showman'. Deadline...