The Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was only the beginning of what seems like Hollywood’s latest movie genre obsession: biopics. Along with the release of Rocketman, a film based on Elton John’s rise to fame, and the just-announced production Céline Dion biopic The Power of Love, 2019 will see the beginnings of a movie about the Starman himself, David Bowie.
Appropriately titled Stardust, the film will chronicle Bowie’s first tour of America in 1971, which inspired the Ziggy Stardust persona from his iconic 1972 concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Actor and musician Johnny Flynn will be portraying Bowie. Also announced cast members include Jena Malone (The Hunger Games) as Bowie’s first wife, Angie Bowie, along with Marc Maron (GLOW), who’ll be playing Bowie’s publicist.
However, it seems fans won’t be treated to the full Bohemian Rhapsody experience. While the Queen film featured many performances and songs, Bowie’s son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, has stated that Stardust will not be getting the rights to his father’s music. When news of the movie broke, Jones, in a series of tweets, stated that if audiences wanted to see “a biopic without his music or the families blessing,” it was up to them.
Stardust is set to be directed by Gabriel Range (Death of a President) and there has been no word on when we can expect it to be released.