What was the first biopic about a band?
Amidst the unpredictability of 2025, a year in which reality has blurred into some sort of dystopic game show, there are still three certainties. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard will release an album, Tottenham Hotspur won’t win a trophy, and another music icon will have a biopic commissioned about them.
I had no room left to roll my eyeballs any further when the announcement of The Beatles cast struck the internet recently. Appearing like a band of East London Zoolanders, Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn stood, dressed in all black—because they are “serious” actors—staring back at me with an unnecessarily steely gaze. I mean, lads, you’re about to play the characters of the greatest, most fun-loving bunch to ever band, and you look like you’re cutting your X Factor boyband promo.
Largely, my disdain for the project is rooted in my irritation at what seems like a never-ending trend in cinema. With the exception of A Complete Unknown, studios are insistent on feeding us a conveyor belt of shoddy and baseless biopics that play like a fictionalised highlights reel of a musician’s career. In fact, I half commend the shameless transparency of musicians and studios alike. I think I reserve my irritation for the mindless viewers who come wheeling out of cinemas dressed head-to-toe in Elton John’s LA Dodgers outfit before inevitably buying a ticket for what was his never-ending farewell tour.
Between the biopics of Queen, Amy Winehouse, Elvis, and Elton John, I have racked up a combined viewing time of zero minutes because there was obviously no story to be told that their entire careers already show in the span of their 90-minute runtime. It’s nothing more than Oscar bait for the actors and a vanity parade for the musicians, dead or alive.
But biopics aren’t a new idea altogether, just one that’s been certifiably ruined in the past decade. Before that, there were some genuinely nuanced and compelling examples. Dylan’s greatness as an artist is seemingly in keeping with the offshoot movies he generates, for I’m Not There was an alternative take on the life of a singular artist. On the other hand, Eminem’s portrayal of a succinct chapter from his own life proves that the allure is in the humanity, not the fake crowds filled by extras.
While both of those movies feel as though they were released many moons ago, far away from the bland landscape of cookie-cutter biopics, they were nowhere near the first biopic. No, that accolade is reserved for The Glenn Miller Story. Released in 1954, it follows the story of Miller, a big band musician who gave up fame to entertain the troops during World War II. The film is still revered critically today and appropriately won the Academy Award for ‘Best Sound Mixing’.
What’s the next biopic to come out?
With the mass rollout of biopics, it was only a matter of time before Michael Jackson’s name crossed studio tables. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar is set to play his uncle, while Oscar nominee Colman Domingo is set to play his infamously controversial father, Joe. Elsewhere, Miles Teller is booked to play the artist’s manager, while Kat Graham is reported to play Diana Ross in a film scheduled for release in October of this year.
But the date is one of continued speculation, given the legal battles this film still faces before it can comfortably prepare for release. Lionsgate postponed it from April to October 3rd with one eye on the 2026 awards season and another on incoming legal action.
It was reported that because of a legal agreement made in 1993, some of the film’s substantial scenes are in jeopardy. According to Puck, “The film’s third act, in particular, hinges specifically on the impact” of the legal case involving then-13-year-old Jordan Chandler, who accused Jackson of sexual misconduct and reached an out-of-court settlement with the singer for $23million.
The report alleges, “Years before signing off on the Michael movie with the Chandlers featured in the script, Jackson’s team agreed they would never include the family in any such movie.”
This lawsuit ultimately leaves large and contentious portions of the biopic unusable, and with the project’s budget rapidly approaching $150m, Universal are scrambling to arrange necessary reshoots in order for its scheduled release in October 2025.
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