Jessica Gunning to star as Mama Cass in new biopic
Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning has been confirmed to play Mama Cass from the Mamas and the Papas in a new biopic.
Rather than telling the story of the rise of the band, the film instead will focus on the story of Mama Cass, real name Cass Elliot.
The film is titled My Mama Cass and will be adapted from Elliot’s daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell’s, memoir of the same name, which was originally published in 2024.
In addition to promising to be “a definitive Cass Elliot film”, it also plans to “highlight Owen’s journey to unravel the truth surrounding Cass Elliot’s untimely death – finally laying to rest the long-standing urban legend of how she tragically died at the age of 32”.
Notably, Elliot died following a successful residency at the London Palladium in 1974 when she suffered a heart attack in a Mayfair apartment she was renting from Harry Nilsson during her stay in the English capital.
Nevertheless, false rumours surrounding Elliot’s cause of death have lingered for decades. The tale began because a ham sandwich was found beside her bed, which was untouched, but it was still reported that she had choked to death on the sandwich before it was confirmed that Elliot had suffered a heart attack.
Elliot-Kugell previously said in 2023, “I started running my mom’s estate when I was 18. One of the first things I remember thinking is, ‘We’ve got to stop that ham sandwich rumour thing,’ because it was so painful.”
She also stressed, “It wasn’t enough that we had lost her, to then be [made into] a joke. I’d say probably 50 per cent of the people don’t believe it now. The other 50 per cent probably still do.”
As it stands, no director is attached to My Mama Cass. It will be produced by Veritas Entertainment, which has experience in the music biopic genre, having previously helped create the Bob Dylan film, A Complete Unknown.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.