Ridley Scott is in talks to direct the Bee Gees biopic in the works at Paramount Pictures, with Barry Gibb set to executive produce and Gladiator’s screenwriter, John Logan, set to provide the script.
The news was shared by Deadline in a report explaining that Paramount is hoping to follow up Bob Marely: One Love with the still-untitled Bee Gees biopic they’ve been developing since they acquired the Gibb family estate and the rights to the band’s hit songs in 2019. Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King was an early sign-on to the project, and for a period of time Kenneth Branagh was slated to direct.
Now, though, Scott is in the director’s chair, which is actually pretty fitting. Early in his career, Scott collaborated with the Bee Gees’ longtime-manager Robert Stigwood on a film project that would star the band themselves. The film never came into fruition, but now, almost 50 years later, Scott will hit the silver screen with a Bee Gees project.
Alongside King — who will produce for GK Films — Scott, Stacey Snider, and Michael Pruss for Scott Free will all have producer credits. Barry Gibb, the sole surviving Bee Gee, has been involved in the project for several years.
Meanwhile, Scott’s latest film, Napoleon, arrived last November. His next project, the sequel to Gladiator, is set to arrive this upcoming November, with a cast featuring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, and more. Revisit our ranking of the top 10 Ridley Scott films.
The Bee Gees were the subjects of the 2020 documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. In 2017, Consequence named their 1977 soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever as the greatest soundtrack of all time.