Garcia Estate Distances Itself from Biopic ...
Eric Shapiro - NY Press 8/5/10
A great many Deadheads are looking forward to the upcomingJerry Garcia biopic on the horizon, to be helmed by Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) based on the screenplay by Topper Lillian. The legendary musician’s family? Not so much. Although the film will draw heavily on Robert Greenfield’s book Dark Star, an oral history of the band with contributions from friends and loved ones, Varietyreports that the Garcia estate is already distancing itself from the project.
“We want to make clear that neither Grateful Dead Prods. nor the Jerry Garcia Family LLC are in any way working with—or are in any other way affiliated with—the supposed upcoming Amir Bar-Lev-directed biopic about Jerry Garcia,” it said in a statement. “We will not be licensing any recordings from Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia's music library for this production, nor will we provide the producer/director with access to any Garcia family members.” It is rumored that the producers will rely on the original versions of songs that Garcia covered early in his career for the soundtrack.
Jerry Garcia was the frontman and guitarist for the Grateful Dead, which he co-founded in 1965 with guitarist Bob Weir, organist Ron “Pigmen” McKernan, bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Garcia died of a heart attack in 1995 after struggling with drug addiction and other health problems for much of his life. The remains of the band continue to perform to this day under the shortened moniker “The Dead.”
A great many Deadheads are looking forward to the upcomingJerry Garcia biopic on the horizon, to be helmed by Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) based on the screenplay by Topper Lillian. The legendary musician’s family? Not so much. Although the film will draw heavily on Robert Greenfield’s book Dark Star, an oral history of the band with contributions from friends and loved ones, Varietyreports that the Garcia estate is already distancing itself from the project.
“We want to make clear that neither Grateful Dead Prods. nor the Jerry Garcia Family LLC are in any way working with—or are in any other way affiliated with—the supposed upcoming Amir Bar-Lev-directed biopic about Jerry Garcia,” it said in a statement. “We will not be licensing any recordings from Grateful Dead or Jerry Garcia's music library for this production, nor will we provide the producer/director with access to any Garcia family members.” It is rumored that the producers will rely on the original versions of songs that Garcia covered early in his career for the soundtrack.
Jerry Garcia was the frontman and guitarist for the Grateful Dead, which he co-founded in 1965 with guitarist Bob Weir, organist Ron “Pigmen” McKernan, bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Garcia died of a heart attack in 1995 after struggling with drug addiction and other health problems for much of his life. The remains of the band continue to perform to this day under the shortened moniker “The Dead.”