With both James Brown and Jimi Hendrix biopics on their way, it seems like musicians’ stories are gaining traction with financiers and studio execs. The Los Angeles Times and THR is reporting that the cantankerous Smiths frontman, Morrissey, will be the next to see cinematic canonization, though not exactly with his blessing.
Titled (at least for now) “Steven,” the film will be directed by the “The Voorman Problem” filmmaker Mark Gill and scripted by both Gill and William Thacker. The project looks “to cover Morrissey’s early years, prior to forming a songwriting partnership with Smiths band mate Johhny Marr, which would lead to international stardom and the sales of millions of records. Gill promises that the film will be less a paint-by-the-numbers biopic and ”more of a portrait“ of the singer. Orian Williams is one of the producers behind the movie, and he’s responsible for both Ian Curtis biopic “Control” and Jack Kerouac flick “Big Sur,” so clearly biopics are kind of his thing. And both of those films were quite good, so perhaps there isn’t reason to worry too much? Though it should be said that the focus on a pre-fame Morrissey clearly helps them get around trying to license his music…
The film will apparently shoot later this year, and the big question will be who should take the lead. Any ideas?
