Musical biopics are back. They were all the rage in the 2000s, thanks to the Oscar-winning releases Ray (2004) and Walk the Line (2005). The success of Bohemian Rhapsody in 2019, which also took home a few Oscars (dubious as they may have been), has effectively kicked off version 2.0.
It seems like every studio is getting in on the fun, taking iconic musicians and using their lives as launching pad for award runs. Have studios solved the cliches of the genre? Not really. A Complete Unknown, the upcoming Bob Dylan film, got more than a few comparisons to beloved biopic parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).
It's best to take these cliches in stride, though, because the train isn't slowing down. Hollywood has an impressively high number of biopics set for the next few years. Here are the ones that actually look like they'll come to fruition (that means that the long-gestating Grateful Dead biopic, or the Bee Gees film, are not going to be making the cut. There hasn't been updates on either release in years).
A Complete Unknown (Bob Dylan biopic)
The only one with a trailer and a proper release date. A Complete Unknown will recount the meteoric rise of Bob Dylan in the 1960s. Timothee Chalamet will play the titular folk singer, in which is sure to nab him a second Oscar nomination.
James Mangold was the man who made Walk the Line, so he's proven to have a solid understanding of the musical biopic beats. Nothing as weird or off-kilter as Todd Haynes' Dylan film, I'm Still Here, but intriguing nonetheless. We're excited to see Ed Norton's Pete Seeger, as well as Boyd Holbrook's take on Johnny Cash (sadly, there will be no Joaquin Phoenix cameo).
Boy George biopic
Boy George is the latest musician to get the biopic treatment. The 80s pop star was confirmed to be the focus of an upcoming film at TriStar Pictures. The script for the still-untitled film will be written by J.C. Lee, which is surprising given that most of Lee's previous credits are producer-based.
Boy George will serve as one of the executive producers on the film, which will be based in part on his autobiographies, Take It Like A Man, Straight and Karma. The details are still sparse, but Deadline said that the film will focus on Boy George's rise to fame in the 1980s.
Michael (Michael Jackson biopic)
Michael is going to be a box office success. The pedigree of screenwriter John Logan and director Antoine Fuqua would be enough to lend credibility to the film, but the hook of Michael Jackson's own nephew, Jafaar Jackson, playing him onscreen, is going to captivate audiences.
Michael is made with the full cooperation of the Jackson estate, which means we're more than likely going to be given a sanitized portrait of the King of Pop in the vein of Bohemian Rhapsody. Not ideal, but such is the nature of the biopic business. Michael is due out April 18, 2025.
Linda Ronstadt biopic
Linda Ronstadt had a career tailor made for the big screen. She's a country rock superstar who managed to change genres and maintain her relevance for decades on end. She's also been forced to contend with Progressive supranuclear palsy, a disease that has taken away her ability to sing.
There's triumph and tragedy, and in Selena Gomez, the actress attached to play Ronstadt, there's a major star. The two celebrities not only share a striking physical resemblance, but both are Mexican American singers who have found success with both English and Spanish audiences. No word yet on a release date, but if the Ronstadt biopic is done right, Gomez could wind up with some awards.
Deliver Me from Nowhere (Bruce Springsteen biopic)
The most mythologized period of Bruce Springsteen's career, which is saying a lot, is the making of the 1982 album Nebraska. Naturally, this is the period that will serve as the focus of the upcoming film Deliver Me from Nowhere.
The talent assembled for this Boss biopic is undeniable. Writer/director Scott Cooper has proven that he can do gritty (Out of the Furnace) and rock-centric (Crazy Heart). Jeremy Allen White, the man cast as Springsteen, has proven that he can do tortured romanticism on The Bear, and and Jeremy Strong will bring the same neurotic charisma he brought to Succession to the film as the Boss' manager.
This one's gonna be good.
Maria (Maria Callas biopic)
A film, like Deliver Me from Nowhere, that will benefit from focusing on a specific period in a singer's life. Maria is going to be the third biopic directed by Pablo Larrain, and based on the quiet melancholy he brought to both Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021), we'd say fans of opera singer Maria Callas are in good hands.
Angelina Jolie looks striking in the promotional photos for Maria, which will detail the final years of the singer's life in the 1970s. We have a festival date for this one, which is around the corner: August 29, 2024.
The Beatles (obviously, Beatles biopics)
The boldest offering here, and the one we still know the least about. Sam Mendes announced plans to shoot four individual Beatles films simultaneously, then release them all in the same year: 2027. It's incredibly ambitious in a way that's befitting the greatest band of all time, but it's also tough to see the vision this early on.
There was some casting rumors floating around the internet, with Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan being tapped to Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, respectively, but nothing concrete has been stated in terms of a start date or a proper cast. Earmark this one, folks. It's either going to be a mess or one of the best biopic releases of all time.