Billy Joel has responded to the news of an upcoming biopic that will chronicle his rise through the eyes of his former manager, Irwin Mazur.
Filmmaker John Ottman secured the life rights of Mazur, as well as Joel’s longtime friend Jon Small, for a forthcoming feature titled Billy & Me, which Ottman will direct.
However, in a statement shared Tuesday with Variety, a representative for Joel said: “Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project.
“Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided.”
The film’s screenwriter, Adam Ripp, responded to Joel in The Hollywood Reporter, saying: “At no point have we ever claimed to control or possess rights to Billy Joel’s original songs, nor has this film ever been conceived around the use of his hit catalog.
“The project was always designed as an intimate origin story focused on the people and relationships surrounding Billy during this specific period of his life.”
Ripp’s father, Artie Ripp, gave Joel his first record deal, and produced his debut album, 1971’s Cold Spring Harbor.
Mazur discovered the singer in 1966, signing him four years later and managing his career until Columbia Records signed him in 1972. Joel’s breakthrough came the following year with his album Piano Man.
Ottman edited the recently released Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, and served as editor on the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, for which he won an Oscar.
Speaking to THR, Ripp added that “Billy & Me is specifically not a traditional cradle-to-grave Billy Joel biopic, nor is it dependent on Billy Joel’s original music catalog.”
Variety reported in 2022 that Joel had refused to share the rights to his music for the project.
“The film takes place during Billy’s formative years — before the fame, before the fortune, and before the iconic songs that made him ‘The Piano Man,’” Ripp continued. “Much of the period depicted centers around Billy’s early years performing cover songs with The Hassles and struggling to find his artistic identity as a young musician.
“... Additionally, we also hold the life rights to Billy’s lifelong best friend and original drummer, Jon Small, who is actively involved in the production as a consultant, co-executive producer, and second unit director. Jon personally consulted on the screenplay and fully endorses the film as someone who lived through and experienced the events portrayed firsthand,” Ripp concluded. “We have tremendous respect for Billy Joel and his extraordinary legacy. Our intention has always been to tell an honest, heartfelt story about the early years of a young artist before the world knew his name.”
