A new biopic based on the early life of Billy Joel is officially moving forward, but the Piano Man himself wants nothing to do with it.
Titled Billy & Me, the film will chronicle Joel’s formative years before his rise to fame in the 1970s, with John Ottman attached to direct. Ottman is best known for his work on films including Bohemian Rhapsody and the recent Michael biopic.
Per Rolling Stone, the film will be told through the perspective of Joel’s first manager, Irwin Mazur, who discovered the singer in the 1960s and later helped secure his recording contract with Columbia Records. Screenwriter Adam Ripp has reportedly secured life rights from both Mazur and Joel’s longtime friend and drummer Jon Small, who is also involved as a consultant and co-executive producer.
But shortly after the project was announced, a representative for Joel publicly distanced the artist from the film.
“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,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“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.”
Despite the backlash, Billy & Me is reportedly still aiming to begin filming later this year. The situation has already sparked debate online, with many fans questioning how a Joel biopic could work without access to the artist’s music catalogue.
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The announcement comes less than a year after Joel’s life and career were explored in the acclaimed HBO documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which featured the singer’s direct involvement.
