Shortly after it was revealed that they would be pulling the plug on their status as a ‘live touring unit’, INXS fans were gifted with the news that the life of former frontman Michael Hutchence would be adapted for the silver screen, the news arriving 15 years to the day after the iconic singer’s death.
Titled Two Worlds Colliding, the biopic will focus on the intimate aspects of Hutchence’s life based on the details in the book penned by his sister Tina and late mother Patricia Glossop, Just A Man.
Now, there’s another INXS adaptation (named after another song) that’s headed its way to the screen, the small screen that is.
As The Age reports, a new two-part mini-series entitled Never Tear Us Apart: The INXS Story will chronicle the rock n roll story of one of Australia’s biggest and most successful exports of all time, complete with the tragic trajectory of their former frontman.
Filming for the new production begins in June, and was green-lit yesterday as a joint venture between Seven and Shine Australia with the blessing of the band who have allowed the two-part television special to be the only film project with the rights to use the band’s music and catalogue.
As for the contents of the new film, guitarist Tim Farriss says to expect some of the band’s more obscure and unknown details. Like Mick Jagger sneaking into the band’s first ever sold-out gig at the Royal Albert Hall in London in the late 80s for one, according to the band’s manager, Chris Murphy.“We have been sitting on one of the greatest rock’n’roll stories ever for so long now…” – Chris Murphy, INXS Manager
“This is our chance to get it right, to get everything off our chest,” Farriss told The Age. “There is still stuff I don’t know which is going to come out in this mini-series; I think it will be hard to stay away from the set.”
Mark Fennessy of Shine Australia, who was on tour with the band during their 80s zenith for the Kick and X-era as they moved from Australian rock stars to global concern, says the series will also expose the darker side of Hutchence after he suffered head injuries from a motorcycle accident in the early 1990s.
“I don’t know how many people know about his motorbike accident in Thailand,” reveals Fennessy; “a lot of people thought it was in Copenhagen. He got king hit by a taxi driver, his brain shifted and he lost his sense of smell and taste.”
“He became quite dark, cynical, aggressive and depressed, and while he was on Prozac, that was on top of everything else he was taking,” continues the producer. “It was a frustrating time for him and the band.”
It’s just one of many gory band details that the mini-series will hopefully cover, with INXS manager Chris Murphy saying that actors were being sought to play the roles of U2 mouthpiece Bono, and former Hutchence flames Paula Yates and Kylie Minogue.
The actress cast as the latter, pint-sized poppette will also have to contend with a mile-high scene involving a first-class flight, a toilet cubicle, and Bob Hawke as a witness.”There is still stuff I don’t know which is going to come out in this mini-series.” – Tim Farriss, INXS
Of course Fennessy and Murphy are also charged with the same difficult task faced by Robert ‘Bobby’ Galinsky for his Hutchence biopic, finding the perfect presence to fill the sizeable shoes fo the iconic frontman (something the real-life band have arguably struggled with their entire career).
The production team have been scouting local bands in the casting search, with mention of American heartthrob James Franco also coming to the fore.
Murphy added that the focus of Never Tear Us Apart: The INXS Story was to restore the band’s musical legacy, “We have been sitting on one of the greatest rock’n’roll stories ever for so long now,” says the INXS manager.“This is our chance to get it right, to get everything off our chest.” – Tim Farris, INXS
As for the current status of the band, who made a shock announcement at their final support slot with Matchbox Twenty at Perth Arena that they’d be pulling the curtain on their 35-year career, Farriss says that he and the band do not regret their decision to ‘step away from the touring arena.’
“We haven’t split up as a band and it’s still in our nature to get up every morning thinking about music,” said the guitarist, “But yeah, I’ve got itchy fingers already.”
The two-part mini-series is the third feature in recent months to surface based on the band and their frontman, but looks set to be the first to be viewed by the public. The other two biopics, each focussed on Michael Hutchence, are Two Worlds Colliding – the Bobby Galinsky-helmed production; and another which, according to mUmBRELLA, is called Michael.
Screen Australia have provided funding for the feature to writer/director Richard Lowenstein, who actually has first-hand experience with the band and Hutchence, having directed the cult film Dogs In Space as well as several of the band’s videos from their 80s heyday, including ‘Need You Tonight’ and “Never Tear US Apart.
