Summary

• Ridley Scott may direct an untitled Bee Gees biopic for Paramount, an unconventional choice for the legendary director.
• Scott's career has largely focused on sci-fi and historical epics, making a musical biopic a departure for him.
• Scott has a history with the Bee Gees, as their manager helped him get his first directing job nearly 50 years ago.

Ridley Scott's potential next movie, a Bee Gees biopic, has reportedly already been revealed. Scott is a legendary director known for Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, and many other famous films. His latest historical epic, Napoleon starring Joaquin Phoenix, was released in November 2023 and just a few months later, Scott wrapped filming on Gladiator 2 starring Paul Mescal, a sequel to his Best Picture-winning film from 2000 starring Russell Crowe, which is set for a release on November 22.

Now, Ridley Scott's next movie has potentially already been revealed. According to Deadline, Scott is in negotiations to direct an untitled Bee Gees biopic for Paramount, though the deal isn't officially done yet. The script is written by John Logan, who has collaborated with the director before by co-writing Gladiator and Alien: Covenant.

Why Ridley Scott Wants To Direct A Bee Gees Biopic

Musical biopics have seen a resurgence in recent years, starting with Bohemian Rhapsody, which grossed nearly $1 billion at the box office in 2018. The trend continued with Rocketman the following year and Baz Luhrmann's Elvis in 2022. However, with Paramount's own Bob Marley: One Love box office breaking a record on its first day in theaters, the studio decided to fast-track their Bee Gees biopic which has been in the works for the past several years with Kenneth Branagh and John Carney previously attached to direct.

Ridley Scott is the biggest name yet attached to the Bee Gees movie, but given his filmography, is an unconventional choice for the musical biopic. Over his illustrious career, Scott has largely stuck to sci-fi films like Alien, Prometheus, and The Martian and historical epics like Gladiator, Kingdom of Heaven, and Exodus: Gods and Kings. However, there is a backstory behind why Scott wants to direct the Bee Gees biopic.

The Bee Gees' soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever was seen as a turning point for the group and the popularity of disco in mainstream music.

The history between Scott and the Bee Gees goes back to before he started his career as a director in 1977. The group's manager at the time, Robert Stigwood, was instrumental in getting Scott his first job as the director of Castle Accident, a medieval movie that was set to star the band's brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The movie was never made and instead, Scott went on to make his directorial debut with The Duelist. Now, nearly 50 years later, Scott has the chance to direct a biopic documenting the real-life story of the Bee Gees.

Source: Deadline