David Bowie’s Son Is Not Happy About That Biopic, Which Doesn’t Have The Music Rights
By Chris Evangelista/Feb. 1, 2019 1:00 pm EST
Quick recap: they’re making a young David Bowie movie, starring Johnny Flynn as the rock ’n’ rollin’ bitch himself. The film focuses on Bowie’s first U.S. tour in 1971, in which he conceived the character Ziggy Stardust. I was immediately skeptical of this idea, because lets be honest – it’s going to be nearly impossible for any actor to capture Bowie’s spirit. That’s one strike against the film. Here’s another: the producers don’t have the rights to any of Bowie’s songs. So says Duncan Jones, Bowie’s son.
Im not saying this movie is not happening. I honestly wouldn’t know. Im saying that as it stands, this movie won’t have any of dads music in it, & I can’t imagine that changing. If you want to see a biopic without his music or the families blessing, thats up to the audience.
— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 31, 2019
On top of that, Jones also says that the movie does not have the blessing of Bowie’s family:
Even if you want to ignore the music rights issue, this seems like a pretty big deal. Maybe they should call this whole thing off? Or change the lead character’s name to Bavid Dowie or something like that. Just a suggestion.
“[I’m] not saying this movie is not happening. I honestly wouldn’t know. I’m saying that as it stands, this movie won’t have any of Dad’s music in it and I can’t imagine that changing. If you want to see a biopic without his music or the families blessing, that’s up to the audience.”
When and if Stardust happens, it will also star Jena Malone as Bowie’s ex-wife Angela Barnett, and Marc Maron will play Bowie’s record company publicist. Christopher Bell, writer of the upcoming series The Last Czars, is handling script duties, while Gabriel Rang, the filmmaker behind Death of a President and I Am Slave, is directing.
