A new Billy Joel biopic is moving ahead without Billy Joel’s approval, and his camp is warning that the project cannot legally clear the music it would need. The film, titled 'Billy & Me,' is set to be directed by John Ottman and is aiming for production this fall in Winnipeg, Canada and New York.
The project centers on Joel’s formative years before fame and tells that story through the eyes of his first manager, Irwin Mazur, who discovered him in 1966, signed him in 1970 and oversaw his career through his breakthrough deal with Columbia Records in 1972. Casting is now underway, and the film is positioned to follow the two-part 2025 HBO documentary 'And So It Goes.'
Joel’s representative said the parties involved were officially notified in 2021 that they do not possess Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for the project. The representative added that Joel has not authorized or supported the film in any capacity and said moving ahead without those rights would be both legally and professionally misguided.
That warning lands against a production that has already secured Mazur’s exclusive life rights and the life rights of Jon Small, who is also serving as a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director. Filmmaker Adam Ripp is writing the script and producing through his ArtPhyl Pictures banner, while Ottman most recently worked as lead editor on the 'Michael' biopic.
Small described the film in glowing terms, calling it “the most honest, heartfelt, and authentic portrayal of Billy’s early life and rise to becoming one of the greatest musical voices of our time.” He also said 'Billy & Me' is “grounded in truth, shaped with care, and built with the insight of people who genuinely know and love Billy.”
The friction is straightforward: the production is building a screen story around Joel’s life and music while acknowledging that it does not have the rights his camp says are necessary to tell it. That leaves 'Billy & Me' on track for a fall start, but under a cloud of condemnation that could shape how far the film can actually go once cameras begin rolling.
