Billy Joel has made it clear that an unauthorised biopic does not have his approval, nor rights to his music or his life rights – calling it “legally and professionally misguided”.
The film in question is Billy & Me, which is edited and directed by John Ottman and tells the origin story of the iconic musician before he reached worldwide fame. It is told from the perspective of his first manager Irwin Mazur, who discovered Joel in 1966, signed him in 1970, and worked with him for two more years after that – up until Joel signed with Columbia Records.
Filmmakers have secured Mazur’s exclusive life rights, as well as those of drummer and longtime friend to Joel, Jon Small. The latter played with the songwriter in his early band The Hassles and also with him in the acid-rock band Attila. He is working on the project as a co-executive producer, consultant and second unit director.
Billy Joel, however, has made it clear that the film will not have his approval, nor the rights to use his music. He has also not provided his life rights to the film, which would grant the company rights to buy his life story and make it into a biopic.
This, Variety outlines, is likely why the film is being told from the perspectives of Mazur and Small.
“Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project,” a spokesperson for Joel told the outlet.
“Billy Joel has not authorised or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided.”
Speaking about the new project, Small described it as “the most honest, heartfelt, and authentic portrayal of Billy’s early life and rise to becoming one of the greatest musical voices of our time” (via Variety).
He also described it as being “grounded in truth, shaped with care, and built with the insight of people who genuinely know and love Billy”, as well as capturing “not just the music, but the friendships, struggles, humour, and creative spark that defined those years”.
Ottman – who also worked as lead editor on the recent Michael Jackson biopic – also shared that he considers the upcoming film to be “a deeply emotional and fun story”.
“This is the formative years of Billy and his relationship with Irwin Mazur, the man who recognised Billy’s amazing talent even before Billy did himself,” he added. “Sure, the long hair, cigarette smoke and authentic look of the period turns me on as a filmmaker, but what truly drew me to the material was the humanity at its core. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately very inspiring.”
The update about the movie comes following Joel revealing last year that he previously made two suicide attempts due to guilt he felt over developing a romantic relationship with Small’s wife Elizabeth Weber while in the band Attila.
“I felt very, very guilty about it,” Joel said in last year’s two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes. “They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker. I was just in love with a woman, and I got punched in the nose, which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.”
Attila soon split up and Joel, who had been living with Small and Weber, found himself homeless. “I had no place to live,” he continued. “I was sleeping in laundromats and I was depressed, I think to the point of almost being psychotic. So I figured, ‘That’s it. I don’t want to live anymore.’
“I was just in a lot of pain, and it was sort of like, ‘Why hang out? Tomorrow is going to be just like today is and today sucks.’ So, I just thought I’d end it all.”
Small and Joel eventually reconciled, as did he and Weber, with her later becoming his manager. It isn’t yet clear whether or not the film will explore this chapter or not. More details about the release date and cast will be revealed at a later date.
In other Billy Joel news, last May the singer cancelled all of his scheduled concert dates after revealing that he had been diagnosed with the brain disorder normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH).
Earlier this year, the musician’s daughter revealed that he’s handling the diagnosis well. “He’s doing physical therapy regularly, and he’s doing great,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s lost weight as he’s on his diet. I’m so proud of him. He’s such a trooper, so resilient and committed to being healthy and proactive. He’s a fighter.”
Before then, Joel appeared on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast last summer, saying that he feels “fine” but his “balance sucks” – likening it to “being on a boat” – and he also appeared alongside his own tribute act to perform for the first time since his diagnosis in January.