Paul Greengrass in talks to direct the long-awaited Jimi Hendrix biopic

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Four years ago Paul Greengrass and Legendary's Thomas Tull were set to proceed with their Jimi Hendrix biopic only to have the film hit a major stumbling block; the Jimi Hendrix estate denied them use of the musicians catalogue. Instead of moving forward with the film anyway, Greengrass and Tull wisely stepped away from the project. It appears as though their patience has payed off as an agreement with Experience Hendrix has finally been reached for the rights to use Jimi's music.

Scott Silver is attached to write the script and Legendary is negotiating with Paul Greengrass to finally take the helm of the long-awaited film. Previously, Anthony Mackie was in talks to play Hendrix and, while it's unclear if they'll pursue him once again, I still think he'd be a solid choice.

Deadline, which broke the news, mentions that the reason the Hendrix estate was uncooperative at the time was because they feared a movie might hurt sales from Hendrix’s ever-popular music catalogue. Legendary's Hendrix biopic wasn't the only one on the table back then, 12 YEARS A SLAVE scribe John Ridley wrote and directed JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE, which moved ahead without the backing of the Hendrix estate. Unfortunately that meant that the film couldn't use any of Jimi's classic music; if only they'd waited.

Who do you see taking on the role of Jimi Hendrix?