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Highlights
- Bruce Springsteen expressed mixed feelings about biopics.
- Jeremy Allen White’s film Deliver Me From Nowhere, focuses on Springsteen’s album “Nebraska.”
- The Bruce Springsteen biopic with Jeremy Allen White, with Scott Cooper directing, promises a fascinating and inspiring story.
While there have been countless music biopics over the past few decades, many would agree that it seemed strange that no film focused on Bruce Springsteen before Jeremy Allen White‘smovie Deliver Me From Nowhere. After all, Springsteen’s music is still as popular as ever, and his professional story is one of grit, determination, and a true love for what he does.
Although fans were happy to hear about Deliver Me From Nowhere, it’s interesting that it was greenlit several decades after Bruce Springsteen began his career with his 1972 debut album “Greetings From Ashbury Park, N.J.” In this article, we’ll take a look at what Springsteen once said about biopics, along with what fans should know about White’s film.
What Did Bruce Springsteen Say About Biopics Before Jeremy Allen White’s Movie Deliver Me From Nowhere?
In 2019, Bruce Springsteen was interviewed by IndieWire and talked about why there had been no biopic about him up until that point. Based on his comments, it’s clear that he has a complicated opinion of biopics. Instead of saying that he would have loved for a movie to be made about him or that he absolutely hated the idea, he sounded open-minded… if the movie was good.
Springsteen said that he wasn’t sure if he wanted a biopic to be made and that it would be a struggle to find the right actor. He explained:
“It’s kind of something I’ve held off on because so few of them are successful. And finding someone to play yourself is really weird! It’s just been something I haven’t dove into. I don’t know if I will.”
In the same interview, he also admitted that a movie set after his 1984 album “Born To Run” would be a good idea since it was such a unique time in his life. According to The Guardian, Springsteen sued Mike Appel, who was the singer’s publisher and manager, and wasn’t able to record music for a year.
When the reporter brought up that James Mangold wanted to make a movie about that time in Springsteen’s life, the singer was positive. He said:
“That’s interesting. Somebody came up and recently wanted to shoot a picture that went up to Born to Run. So if we get both guys doing it, we’ll have the whole story!”
While that would definitely be a rich period of the singer’s life to draw from, it also makes sense that Jeremy Allen White’s Bruce Springsteen biopic is about his album “Nebraska.” As many fans would agree, any movie about Springsteen would likely be fascinating and inspiring since he’s such a legendary musician.
|
Which Music Biopics Made The Most Money? |
Box Office Gross (According to Forbes) |
|---|---|
|
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) |
$216,668,042 |
|
Straight Outta Compton (2015) |
$161,197,785 |
|
Elvis (2022) |
$151,040,048 |
|
Walk the Line (2005) |
$119,519,402 |
|
Rocketman (2019) |
$96,368,160 |
|
I Can Only Imagine (2018) |
$83,482,352 |
|
Ray (2004) |
$75,331,600 |
|
Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) |
$67,182,787 |
|
La Bamba (1987) |
$54,215,416 |
|
Amadeus (1984) |
$51,973,029 |
It also makes sense that Springsteen would want to be careful about approving a biopic considering the fact that he is a big fan of movies. In his interview with IndieWire, he talked about the movie of his album “Western Stars” and said, “I became a bit of a film buff.” He also talked about being a frequent presence at his local movie theater growing up. He said, “My generation of people, we’re used to going to the movies.” It sounds like he really cares about ensuring that a movie about him is well-crafted.
At the time of this writing, Springsteen hadn’t commented on White’s casting. However, it seems that Springsteen might be okay with White playing him. According to Showbiz 411, Springsteen was reportedly going to consult on the biopic. Since he shared that he would worry about the movie being good, it makes sense that he would want to be involved.
While the 2019 movie Blinded By The Light isn’t a biopic, it does tell the story of how reporter Sarfraz Manzoor was a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen. As it turns out, Springsteen was fine with Blinded By The Light. While he might have been unsure if he would agree to a biopic, it sounds like he was cool with a fictional story.
According to Variety, Springsteen saw the plan for the movie and said, “I’m all good with this.” Gurinder Chadha, who wrote and directed the film, told Variety, “I think Bruce was touched that we approached his music from a unique cultural point-of-view.”
Inside Jeremy Allen White’s Bruce Springsteen Biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere
Several talented people are involved with the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere. Besides the news of Jeremy Allen White’s casting in the main role, Scott Cooper will reportedly direct and write the movie.
While not much is known about the movie at the time of this writing, Bruce Springsteen fans can look forward to an interesting story considering Scott Cooper’s resume. The filmmaker wrote and directed Crazy Heart, the 2009 movie starring Jeff Bridges as troubled musician Otis Bad Blake.
While the Jeremy Allen White biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere is the one that was greenlit, it sounds like other filmmakers have been interested in telling a story about The Boss for a long time.
Oren Moverman mentioned Bruce Springsteen in a 2017 interview with The Playlist. The director, who made the unique and creative Bob Dylan movie I’m Not There, said that he would like to make a movie about the singer. He said, “I hope there’s a movie about a musician in my future. I don’t know who that would be, but obviously you can tell that I’m very passionate about music. Maybe Bruce Springsteen, that would be great. If you have any contacts to get me in touch please let me know.” It’s unknown if the singer was aware of this.
