Ridley Scott‘s Bee Gees biopic has hit a snag, the director has revealed.
In February last year, it was reported that Scott was in talks to helm a biopic based on the Bee Gees. Barry Gibb, the last surviving Bee Gees brother and member, was also announced to executive produce.
Now, however, Ridley Scott has revealed in a new chat with GQ that the project has hit a roadblock despite being set to film early this year. According to the director, a script and cast had already been confirmed, and filming was due to begin soon, but he was unable to come to an agreement with Paramount Studios.
Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal at ‘Gladiator II’ premiere at Leicester Square on November 13, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage)
Scott explained the situation to GQ: “The deal — the studio changed the goalposts. I said, ‘You can’t do that.’ They insisted. I said, ‘Well, I’m going to warn you, I will walk, because I will go on to the next movie.’ They didn’t believe me, and I did.”
“I was being asked to go too far,” Scott continued. “And I said, ‘No. Next!’ They didn’t like my deal. So I said, ‘I’ll move on’. I’m expensive, but I’m fucking good.”
However, Scott also shared that he expects to be able to reach a resolution with Paramount and will likely proceed with the film in the fall. For now, Scott has substituted his scheduled with the post-apocalyptic thriller The Dog Stars in April.
Variety has since confirmed with Scott’s production company that the director will work on The Dog Stars first before returning to the Bee Gees biopic later in the year. A rep for Paramount has also confirmed the same to Variety.
Scott’s Bee Gees biopic has yet to receive a title or release date. While Scott claims that he already has the film’s cast locked in, he has yet to announce who will star in the project.
Ridley Scott most recently helmed Gladiator 2. The film – a sequel to the 2000 Russell Crowe classic – starred Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington among others.
Paul Mescal in ‘Gladiator II’ – CREDIT: Paramount
The film scored a three-star review, with Alex Flood writing for NME: “If you loved Gladiator, it’s odds-on you’ll enjoy this too. It’s got all of the same exciting bits – swordfighting, rousing speeches, nasty poshos getting what they deserve. The problem is that’s all it gives you. You want to feel like you’re watching Maximus lift off his helmet and deliver that iconic monologue for the first time again. You want the thrill of a core memory being unlocked. You want to know you’ll be quoting Mescal’s lines to your mates in the pub for the next 10 years. Gladiator 2, piously respectful as it is, can only offer a faded memory of that experience. There was a dream that was Rome – and this is kind of it.”
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