Billy Joel places the “no” in “Piano Man”.
A musical biopic chronicling the long-lasting musician’s early years, titled “Billy & Me,” is within the works with out Joel’s blessing.
John Ottman, who labored as an editor on 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and this yr’s “Michael,” is about to direct the movie. Adam Ripp is about to jot down the screenplay and produce the movie.
“As of 2021, the events concerned have been formally knowledgeable that they don’t personal the lifetime rights to Billy Joel and won’t be able to acquire the music rights required for this venture,” Joel’s rep mentioned in a press release obtained by Web page Six.
“Billy Joel has neither approved nor supported this venture in any capability, and any try to maneuver ahead with out it will be each legally and professionally improper,” they added.
“Billy & Me” is about to discover Joel’s origin story by means of the eyes of his first supervisor, Irwin Mazur, Selection reported Tuesday.
Ottman mentioned he was “actually proud” of the work he and Ripp did to “form ‘Billy & Me’ right into a story that’s each deeply transferring and humorous,” in line with the outlet.
“These are Billy’s adolescence and his relationship with Irwin Mazur, the person who acknowledged Billy’s unbelievable expertise earlier than Billy even did so himself,” Ottman’s assertion continued. “After all the lengthy hair, cigarette smoke and genuine interval look excite me as a filmmaker, however what actually drew me to the fabric was the humanity inside it.”
Ottman known as the movie “humorous, heartbreaking and in the end very inspiring.”
Mazur found Joel, 77, in 1966 and oversaw his profession till he signed with Columbia Information in 1972.
The manufacturing obtained the rights to Mazur’s life in addition to these of Jon Small, a longtime buddy and one among Joel’s first collaborators.
Joel’s first spouse, Elizabeth Weber, was married to Small earlier than leaving him for the “Uptown Lady” singer.
The affair led to the breakup of Joel and Small’s band, Attila.
Subsequently, Joel suffered bouts of melancholy and repeated suicide makes an attempt, a interval of the musician’s life depicted within the 2025 documentary “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.”