Welcome to the era of musician biopics. In the wake of a generation of spinoffs, sequels and remakes comes a storm of biopics about legendary musicians — The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse and others are all set to receive the biopic treatment.
There has always been a steady stream of music biopics. They have a history of impressing both critics and audiences. “Walk The Line” — the 2005 Johnny Cash biopic — earned five Academy Award nominations (it won one). In 2019, the Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” took home four Oscars.
The recent surge in music biopics got started with 2022′s “Elvis,” which was highlighted with a slew of notable nominations, including eight Oscar noms.
During the past year, a swarm of music biopics and concert movies filled theaters: “Bob Marley: One Love,” “Maestro,” “The Eras Tour,” “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Priscilla” and “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
The trend is just getting started. Several music biopics are currently underway or coming to theaters soon.
Here are all the music biopics you can expect in theaters during the coming years.
The growing list of upcoming musician-focused biopics
‘A Complete Unknown’
Timothée Chalamet is filling the role of Bob Dylan in an upcoming biopic about the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter. “A Complete Unknown” recently began filming in New York City. The film is directed by James Mangold (”Ford v Ferrari,” “Walk The Line”). A release date has not been set for the movie.
‘Back to Black’
The upcoming biopic “Back to Black” stars Marisa Abela as late singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. The film explores how Winehouse’s turbulent relationship with Blake Fielder-Civil inspired her to write and record her Grammy Award-winning album “Back to Black.”
“Back to Black” is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (”Nowhere Boy,” “A Million Little Pieces”) and comes to theaters May 17.
‘Unsung Hero’
Coming to theaters April 26, “Unsung Hero,” follows the young Smallbone family when they move from Australia to the U.S. When the Smallbone parents realize two of their children’s natural musical talent, they shepherd them in becoming successful inspirational music acts — For King & Country and Rebecca St. James.
‘The Beach Boys’
“The Beach Boys,” a documentary about the legendary band will land on Disney+ this May.
The documentary is described as a “celebration” of the ‘60s band “that revolutionized pop music and the iconic, harmonious sound they created that personified the California dream, captivating fans for generations and generations to come,” per Variety.
Four-part Beatles biopic
Each member of The Beatles will receive a feature film directed by Sam Mendes (”Skyfall,” “1917,” “Empire of Light”). Each film will focus on a different member of the Fab Four’s point of view.
“I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes said in a statement.
The film is expected to premiere in theaters in 2027.
‘Michael’
“‘Michael’ will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became known worldwide as the King of Pop,” reads an official synopsis of the film, per Variety. “This epic, cinematic film will examine Jackson’s triumphs and tragedies — from his human side, to his public and private struggles, to the accusations and the 24/7 media microscope Jackson lived under, even at his artistic apex.”
“The all-star filmmaking team will also capture Michael’s undeniable creative genius, recreating his most memorable, iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look at one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”
The film is directed by Antoine Fuqua (”The Magnificent Seven,” “The Equalizer”) and stars Kat Graham as Diana Ross, Liv Symone as Gladys Knight, Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Miles Teller as John Branca, per People. Michael Jackson will be played by several actors, including the late singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson.
“Michael” is expected to land in theaters in 2025.
Grateful Dead biopic from Martin Scorsese
Jonah Hill is rumored to play Jerry Garcia of “The Grateful Dead” in a biopic about the jam band directed by Martin Scorsese, reports Deadline. It is unknown when the film will begin production, what era of the band the story will focus on or when the film will land in theaters.
Linda Ronstadt biopic with Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is set to play Linda Ronstadt — 11-time Grammy winner of The Stone Poneys — in an upcoming biopic about the singer, Variety confirmed in January.
The biopic is currently in preproduction with Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, co-producing with James Keach. Additional details such as release date and other cast members have not be announced.
‘Piano Man’
A biopic following Billy Joel’s early years, from his burgeoning musical career as a teenager to a breakout performance that slingshotted him into legend status, is currently in the works, according to Variety.
“Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was 4 years old; his music is ingrained in my DNA and it’s been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man,” said Adam Ripp, who is attached to the project as a writer and director, per Variety.
Keith Moon of The Who
Roger Daltrey, the frontman of The Who, recently completed a script for a film about his late bandmate, drummer Keith Moon.
“I’m at a draft that’s ready to go to directors,” Daltrey said in an interview with NME.
“I’m waiting on a reply from a director that I was talking to prior to starting writing the script. I’m very pleased with the script, it will be made. As soon as soon as he’s finished the film that he’s on, he will read it and I’ll get a reply from him. Hopefully we’ll get it made ASAP.”
He added: “It’s taken me a long, long time. A myriad of writers came up with failed scripts to finally make me sit down and write the kind of story I had in my head of how to tell a story that engages people, that really does expose the full Moon.”
Fred Astaire
Tom Holland might play Fred Astaire in a biopic — the project has long been in the works but got put on pause during the Hollywood strikes.
“We are developing it,” Holland told Collider about the biopic. “We obviously put it on pause while everyone was on strike.”
Holland continued: “The movie is being developed. Scripts are being written. Meetings are being had. Like anything in the film industry, whether it happens or not is another thing, but we are working towards it as if it is happening. Hopefully, we can find a way to tell the story in the way it needs to be told. I’d love to put my tap shoes on again and to portray that character, but we’ll have to wait and see.”