It's all about the musical biopic right now

With last year's Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' being such a hit and Elton John biopic 'Rocketman' likely to be the same (heck even Motley Crue got a biopic recently), we're looking at other musicians who deserve their own biopic.

 

5. Black Flag / Henry Rollins

Let's be clear about this. Henry Rollins is, when put in the correct role, a great actor. But there needs to be a time and distance put on the whole story of Black Flag and Henry Rollins before a film can be made. The whole relationship Black Flag had with their fans - Rollins regularly beat up fans who attacked the stage - and their groundbreaking attempts at infusing political messages into their music is worth making into a film.

Honestly, we've no idea who we'd cast as Henry Rollins. It's a central role and, as previously mentioned, there needs to be a few years on it before it can made.

 

4. Blondie / Debbie Harry

Like Black Flag and Henry Rollins, Debbie Harry is still - thankfully - among the living and regularly plays live. That said, however, her life up until now is truly fascinating.

Did you know she was a Playboy Bunny? Not only that, her whole persona and stage presence is still copied and referenced by pretty much all female artists that aren't Katy Perry or Britney Spears. Lady Gaga, Garbage, Lorde - they're all working off the blueprint that Debbie Harry put down. It'd be a great period film about the excesses of the 1970s, all the personalities and great music.

Who would we cast as Debbie Harry? Give Chloe Moretz a couple of years to mature and she'd be perfect.

 

3. Bob Marley

To be fair, there's been several attempts at getting the story of Bob Marley onto the big screen. Even though Oscar-winning Kevin McDonald made a documentary on him, we feel there was a missed opportunity there. McDonald can take larger-than-life characters and make them relatable and believable. If you haven't seen The Last King Of Scotland - which focuses on Ethiopian dictator Idi Amin - check it out as it's worth a watch.

Marley's political aspirations, his tumultuous relationships and his music would all blend together to make a cracking film. And it looks like we could be getting it soon as last June it emerged that Paramount is developing a biopic on the artist alongside Ziggy Marley, the late legend’s son.

 

2. Eric Clapton

Much like Marvin Gaye, Eric Clapton's been incredibly successful but he's been dogged by tragedy and unhappiness that has, undoubtedly, influenced and made his music all the more powerful. His relationship with George Harrison and, subsequently, Patti Boyd, his alcoholism and drug problems and the death of his young son are all moments that would feature.

Who would we cast Clapton? Irishman Aiden Gillen, if he grew long hair and a beard, could pass for Clapton during his Cream years. However, it'd be more likely that an English actor would be more palatable. If, however, they only focused on older Clapton, Viggo Mortensen would be perfect. He's already got the beard, y'know.

 

1. Marvin Gaye

Despite being one of the most successful singers in the world and being incredibly gifted and talented, Marvin Gaye led a woefully unhappy life. He regularly battled with drugs, he married and divorced twice and he had a crazy father who ended up killing him. Despite all of this, his songs were uplifting and beautiful.

There's been talk of a film for years, but it's never materialised. Mind you, it started looking hopeful when last summer, it emerged that Dr Dre secured the rights to Gaye’s musical catalogue. Previously the singer’s estate approved of a limited series starring Jamie Foxx. For the biopic, we think Chiwetel Ejiofor would be perfect as Marvin. Get him to grow a beard and stick on a red wooly hat and it's good to go.