Paul Greengrass doesn’t give up, you’ve got to give him that. The Captain Phillips helmer has been attempting to craft a Jimi Hendrix biopic for over four years, and despite lots of stops and starts along the way, the project is once again alive at Legendary Pictures. 8 Mile scribe Scott Silver is penning a draft for the untitled film, which has finally received the go-ahead from Experience Hendrix, the musician’s estate.
At the end of 2010, Greengrass’ Hendrix pic hit a huge snag when the rock n’ roll icon’s estate refused to give any kind of approval for a movie, leading to the film going on ice. Legendary Pictures chief Thomas Tull kept with it though, ordering another script and then trying to get approval from Hendrix’s estate. Unfortunately, it didn’t work and the project fell through the cracks. Though he could have seen the film through, Tull chose to back off rather than risk the ire of Hendrix’s people. Evidently, that respect paid off for him.
Now, Tull and Greengrass are back in the saddle working on the project, and the pair have finally secured the support of the musician’s notoriously picky protectors. At long last, with Silver’s script, Greengrass will get to make his movie – with whichever Hendrix tunes he wants to use (as opposed to unauthorized biopic Jimi Hendrix: All is By My Side, which couldn’t get the rights to any of it).
No word yet on whether Captain America: The Winter Soldier actor Anthony Mackie, who flirted with the lead role back in 2010, is still involved. Marvel has seriously elevated his profile, and one could easily imagine him jumping at the opportunity to do something other than fly around in a weaponized wingsuit.
As for the film itself, there are still no details on exactly what kind of Jimi Hendrix movie Greengrass aims to make. A straight biopic doesn’t seem quite right for the Bourne Ultimatum helmer, but Deadline reports it will be a big scale studio picture. We’ll keep you posted with more details when we get them.
