Ridley Scott in Talks to Make Bee Gees Biopic

The studio is hoping that the prolific director will catch Saturday night fever about the project, and can make sure its hopes will be staying alive.

(Left) Ridley Scott attends the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 14, 2015. (Left) The Bee Gees in 'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.' Photo: HBO.

Preview:

Ridley Scott’s in talks for a Bee Gees biopic.
Paramount has been developing the movie for a few years.
The script comes from ‘Gladiator’ scribe John Logan.

As ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ –– the movie about the reggae music superstar –– performs well at the box office following its Valentine’s Day midweek release ($17.9 million and counting), Paramount is looking to give a long-gestating other film in the genre a boost.

The studio has had a movie chronicling the extraordinary story of the Bee Gees in the works since at least 2019 but has seen it burn through a couple of directors already (that would be Kenneth Branagh and John Carney).

Now, as his schedule starts to open up again, Ridley Scott is the studio’s target to get the Bee Gees project to screens.

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The story of The Bee Gees, the pop trio whose worldwide sales of more than 220 million records established them as one of the biggest-selling groups of all time. Read the Plot

Who are the Bee Gees?

The Bee Gees in 'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.' Photo: HBO.

If you know the name, but don’t know the story of sibling musicians Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb, just say, lay it on me.

The group enjoyed worldwide sales of more than 220 million records, cementing them as one of the biggest-selling groups of all time. While the brothers first began performing together in the late 1950s with folk and soft rock, their popularity mushroomed after they wrote songs for ‘Saturday Night Fever’ that boosted the popularity of disco and led to one of the top-selling albums ever, winning five Grammys including Album of the Year.

Even though the soaring success made them world famous, rich and an indelible part of the ’70s zeitgeist, their position as the symbol of disco put them unexpectedly on their heels when there was an eventual backlash to the whole vibe. When Maurice Gibb died suddenly in January 2003 at the age of 53, the remaining brothers retired the group’s name after 45 years of work. They re-formed in 2009, but Robin died three years later at age 62 and that has left Barry to maintain the band’s legacy.

Paramount has John Logan –– who incidentally wrote both ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Alien: Covenant’ for Scott, at work on the script, while biopic specialist Graham King (who worked on the Oscar-winning ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and is in production on Michael Jackson film ‘Michael') is also aboard.

What is happening with Ridley Scott?

(L to R) Director Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix behind-the-scenes of 'Napoleon,' premiering in theaters around the world on November 22, 2023.

Scott is in post-production on his ‘Gladiator’ sequel, which continues the story of his 2000 epic set a few years later, starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen and Joseph Quinn.

It’s just his latest project, and he has plenty of other potential movies in development, but the studio is hoping he’ll set the Bee Gees film as a priority. Scott actually has a connection to the group, as he was offered the chance to direct a movie called ‘Castle Accident’ starring the brothers way back in the 1970s, but it never came together.

When will the biopic be in theaters?

The Bee Gees in 'The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.' Photo: HBO.

The film is not yet at a point where it can schedule a release date –– even with modern studio policies of assigning a date before most of the creative elements are in place. But if Scott does agree to make it, we can expect him to have it moving quickly.

Next up for the director is the aforementioned ‘Gladiator’ sequel, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 22nd.