Andrew Ridgeley says Wham! biopic “would be a marvellous thing”
Wham! founding member Andrew Ridgeley has supported the idea of a biopic about George Michael and the band, stating it “would be a marvellous thing.”
Ridgeley was speaking ahead of the release of a Netflix documentary about the band which is set to premiere on July 5th. As well as celebrating their career, the film will also explore Michael’s solo career and publicly debated sexuality, coming out as gay in 1998.
The official synopsis reads: “In 1982, the best of friends and still teenagers – George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as WHAM! set out to conquer the world. By June of 1986 they played their very last gig at Wembley Stadium having done exactly that.”
It continued: “Now for the very first time, told in their own words, the amazing story of how in four years they dominated the charts around the world with timeless and classic pop songs. Hit after hit – ‘Club Tropicana,’ ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,’ ‘Freedom,’ ‘I’m Your Man’ and of course ‘Last Christmas’”.
Now, Ridgeley has discussed the possibility of a biopic in a similar vein to Elton John’s Rocketman or Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
“I love Bohemian Rhapsody and Wham! is a feelgood, positive story from start to finish, so I think a biopic would be a marvellous thing. Add in the Wham! soundtrack and I don’t think you could go wrong,” he told NME.
He also said of the upcoming Netflix film: “The documentary sets our success in the context of our friendship and how that defined Wham!. It’s our authentic friendship that marked us out as unique. George is fondly remembered by everyone who knew him, and I’m pretty sure he would have liked and approved of the choices we’ve made. The good thing is it’s narrated purely in George’s voice, using archive interviews, and my own, which makes it feel intimate.”
Watch the trailer below.
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