Oscar nominee Kenneth Branagh has been tapped to direct an upcoming biopic centred on disco legendsThe Bee Gees. Paramount Pictures' currently untitledBee Geesmovie will be produced by GK Films, Amblin and Sister, withBee Geesmember Barry Gibb on board as an executive producer.
The biopic is being written by British comedian, author, and playwright Ben Elton, who previously worked alongside Branagh for the 2018 period movieAll Is True, which detailed the final days in the life of renowned playwright William Shakespeare. TheBee Geesbiopic has long been sat at Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks, before moving to Amblin, and will now be released by Paramount Pictures throughBohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King, who has teamed up with former DreamWorks exec Stacey Snider and her new production company, Sister.
While the plot of the movie is unknown at this time, theBee Geesbiopic will likely follow the lives of brothers Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb from their humble beginnings to pop superstardom. Born on the Isle of Man before moving to Manchester, the brothers formed the band in 1958, finding huge success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers of the disco music era in the mid-to-late 1970s.
The Bee Gees are among the world’s biggest selling music artists of all time thanks to hits such as “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” “Too Much Heaven,” “How Deep is Your Love,” “Night Fever,” and “Stayin' Alive.” The Bee Gees have sold over 120 million records worldwide, and frankly have too many hit songs to list, songs which will no doubt be used throughout the upcoming biopic.
Sadly,Barry Gibbis the only surviving member of the band. Maurice Gibb tragically died suddenly from complications of a twisted intestine in 2003 at the age of 53, with Robin Gibb’s sadly passing away from complications related to colorectal cancer in 2012 at the age of 62.
Hollywood has seenhuge success in recent years with biopics of musicians, with the likes of 2018’sBohemian Rhapsodymaking a huge $905 million at the box office and cleaning up the Oscars, winning the award for Best Actor for central star Rami Malek. While not as much of an award darling, the 2019 Elton John biopicRocketmanfound huge critical success, boasting another wonderful central performance from star Taron Egerton.
Kenneth Branaghmeanwhile is no stranger to the director’s chair, having helmed the likes ofHenry V, Marvel’sThor, and Disney’sCinderellain the past. Branagh returns to the world of Agatha Christie’s Poirot this year withDeath on the Nile, for which Branagh will both direct and star. He is also due to slip into the ill-fitting suit and ridiculous hair of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson for Sky dramaThis Sceptred Isle, which details the nation’s response to the ongoing global situation.
TheBee Geesbiopic is in early development currently, and no casting announcements have yet been made. So, who do you think should play theBee Gees, and could any actor really match that iconic falsetto sound? This comes to us courtesy ofThe Hollywood Reporter.
