Jimi Hendrix Biopic
 

Apart from a 1973 documentary about him, there has yet to be released a definitive biographical film about the life and career of Jimi Hendrix. We've had biopics of everyone from Morrison to Notorious. Why not this very famous musician, someone who has enough mythology and legend surrounding him to make for a great movie? Is it because of the Jimi Hendrix Foundation?

there was a made-for-tv biopic on him starring wood harris as Jimi made a while back. It was decent considering they couldn't use any of his original music. There have been talks of an official Jimi biopic for years but the experience hendrix company run by his 'sister' reject any script that has any drug scenes because apparantley she's a hardcore christian and is trying to clean up his 'sex, drugs, rock n roll' image

pretty much, there have been a few biopics planned over the years but none ever made it all the way. Andre3000 from Outkast was the most recent candidate to star and that was in 2004. apparently Will Smith, Laurence Fishburn, and Eddie Murphy have all vied for the role in the past as well.

for whatever reasons, the Jimi Hendrix Foundation has consistently refused to allow the use of his music in a film of this nature.

i don't get it either. :whythis:

I knew it had something to do with that. What are the chances that the foundation will either change its stance on this or that there will be some new ownership in the future?

There hasn't even been a Biopic about Sinatra, one of the most influential artists that has more than enough mythology surrounding him.. Glad Scorsese is putting it right. I agree though, there definitely should be one about Hendrix. But there's probably a few biopics out there that haven't been done when they should.

There was talk a few years back about Prince playing him as he would actually play the guitar parts and then they would reverse the images as Jimi was left handed. Sounds a technical nightmare but Prince is one mean guitar player.

Yeah I wouldn't want Prince as an actor. :laughing:

But he would at least be a good choice for dubbing the guitar parts, though having the actor be someone who can actually play the guitar would add to the authenticity.

Still they would want someone with star power so if it ever gets made it will probably be a high profile african american actor. Will Smith wouldn't be a bad choice, he's a really good actor actually. He's a little old for the role but compared to the aforementioned actors he looks like he could pass for being in his 20s and he's the closest to Hendrix in physical resemblance.

If they picked Eddie Murphy I wouldn't be able to control myself. :laughing:

If you can handle him sampling the fuck out of a bunch of Hendrix tunes to make the obligatory tie in pop song.

Plus I think he's a shit actor.

They should use Prince as a stunt double, but instead of stunts... guitars. Is there anyone actually trying to get this project into motion?

I don't think it will go ahead in any 'official' capacity which is a shame because apart from the obvious excess of his time in 60's London you have early life as a session musician etc and it could be a fantastic film if it was done right.

I think they should wait 10 years and get Will Smith's son, he's a good little actor.

Shame, I love Ian Curtis' biopic and I have high hopes for Kurt's biopic, I was looking forward to Sinatra's but I have a feeling I won't like it. It's being done in the same fashion as "I'm Not There" and I didn't enjoy that. I think it was the format I didn't enjoy.

Hendrix with the right director and actor could be brilliant.


Thinkin' outside the box there James!

Biopics are usually generic and boring to me. At least 'I'm Not There' was something different and interesting in concept. I would be very pleased if Sinatra biopic doesn't follow the generic Oscar bait route, but actually tries something different. (Well, I hope it doesn't copy the Dylan film either).

Sinatra biopic is following the Dylan route, 3 or 4 different actors playing different stages in his life. Boring.

The same actor playing him from young to old, like in A Beautiful mind.

^^Well, I liked 'I'm Not There', but it would be stupid if every biopic would suddenly started following that concept. But at the same time I don't like those generic biopics like 'A Beautiful Mind'. I don't know, I'm just hoping for something fresh and creative.

Hopefully, in 10 years, the rights concerning the use of the original music will be lightened up so that this will have the potential to be done right.

What was generic about A Beautiful Mind? Damn good film, apart from his being a little off historically.

I'm Not There was poor IMO. I don't want to see it again, but unfortunately I will. I was hoping Dicaprio would play Sinatra from being a young man to an old man.

they were names for PAST considerations.

as in, Eddie Murphy's name only came up in the early 80s when he was one of the hottest actors out there. still riding high from SNL and looking to establish some diversity as an actor. it's not like he was in consideration 6 years ago against Andre 3000. same with Will Smith, odds are the most serious talks happened just as he was stepping out of being the Fresh Prince of BelAir and starting into more diverse movie roles before becoming becoming the Fresh Prince of Action Heroes.

wasn't there a really bad one made?

I will dig out my Bad Movie interests for this now.

Back in I think The Early 80's, there was a film by Larry Buchanan called Down On Us about the conspiracy of the deaths between Jimi, Janis, and Jim. To those who don't know about Larry Buchanan, he was a Texas-based film maker who specialized in films like the Trail of Lee Harvey Oswald (Dull, but thought provoking if you stay awake), Goodnight Sweet Marylin (Monroe), Hughes and Harlow, and others while not working on cheap flicks like The Naked Witch. The only film I seriously have stayed put for was The Other Side of Bonnie and Clyde, which was more photographs than re-creations making it more believable. Sadly, there was an interest in Conspiracies that did not match too well with his low-budgets, and on Down On Us, he created something that Bad Film fans consider jaw-dropping. I have not yet seen it, it's pretty hard to find, but I have a feeling that it's the Bad Film you're thinking about.

I'm not a big fan of biopics of musicians because they rarely get it right. There are three musician biopics that stand out from the rest of the mediocre ones.

Control, the Ian Curtis biopic was the rare exception because Sam Riley is such a talented actor and singer. I was shocked to find out that it was Riley, not Curtis singing on the soundtrack.

I was also impressed with Val Kilmer's portrait of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors. Kilmer sang reasonably well in a couple of the live concert segments. Kilmer got the part by sending Oliver Stone a homemade video of himself signing a few Doors songs.

The final good music biopic is Bird, Clint Eastwood's 1988 portrait of jazz saxaphonist Charlie Parker. Forest Whitaker played Parker and he should have won an Oscar for it, but the movie got snubbed at by the Academy, after both the Golden Globes and the Cannes Festival both gave best director to Eastwood and best actor to Whitaker.

Most of the actors mentioned to play Hendrix in a biopic are way too old to play Jimi, who was 27 at the time of his death. Eddie Murphy is 49, Will Smith is 42 and Prince is 51. I don't think any of those three have the acting talent to pull off a believeable Hendrix especially Prince who is about as good an actor as Elvis was.

Casting the Hendrix role is challenging because it takes both a good actor and a good guitar player to pull it off in any sort of convincing manner. Forest Whitaker spent a couple of years learning how to snych the saxphone keys to Charlie Partker's playing and it nearly impossible to fake electric guitar playing, especially when you're trying to fake Hendrix.

The only person I can think of is blues guitarist Chris Thomas King who played a blues guitarist role based on Tommy Johnson in Oh Brother Where Art Thou. But King is well into his forties and has very different facial features and body type than Hendrix.

The guy who played Hendix in cable television biopic did an okay job but if I remember correctly he didn't have any scenes where he had to play guitar or sing which made his task much easier. There has been a biopic of Frank Sinatra's early years but I can't remember the title or the actor who played Sinatra.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/lapeste/ctk1.jpg
Chris Thomas King

you do know that Robbie Krieger has gone on record to call everything after the Peyote scene in this film Oliver Stone's wet dream for Jim right? it wasn't about reflecting the person or the band, it was about fellating the persona.


as for the continued rehashing of the names Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Prince. what part of PAST considerations are people having a hard time with here. Eddie Murphy and Prince were considered for the role in the 80s as in - when they were still in their 20s. Will Smith in the 90s... as in - when he was still in his 20s. and Andre3000 as the most recent in the first half of this decade - when he was still - is everyone ready for it?

his late 20s.


basically until control of Hendrix's estate changes hands we're never going to see a biopic. there are a bunch of books on his life out there that were written before his half sister decided it was her duty to whitewash his history for those really interested.

I thought Walk the Line was a very good biopic, I thought Ray was good too despite the transparent cliches.

Another really good biopic was The Buddy Holly Story. Gary Busey was very good in that. And yes once upon a time this guy actually did credible acting roles.

And yet the film really went out of it's way to make it clear that Morrison was a terrible person to be around.

exactly, think about that for a minute more.