Scorsese Is Making A Grateful Dead Biopic Starring Jonah Hill

After stepping up as a producer on his next film Killers of the Flower Moon, Apple and Martin Scorsese look to have found their next project together and it’s subjects at the center of it are a group the Oscar winner knows well. Sources tell Deadline, Scorsese is on board to direct and produce a new untitled biopic on the rock band the Grateful Dead with Jonah Hill on board to play the group’s frontman, Jerry Garcia. Hill will also produce the pic.

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have received rave reviews for penning American Crime Story: Impeachment, are writing the script with Rick Yorn of LBI Entertainment joining Hill and Scorsese as producers. Bernie Cahill, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Trixie Garcia and Eric Eisner will exec produce. Insiders add that with the band and the groups management participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the groups musical catalogue for the film.

I won't make the false claim to be a massive dead head. If I did, both Ben Mintz and ex-Yak producer Colby Nolan would team up to beat my poser ass. However, I do casually enjoy me some dead head stuff in the least necrophiliac way of saying. And like most of you, I know a ton of people obsessed with the band that drop everything to go watch Dead & co. when they are in town

Just looking at Jerry Garcia when he was young and later in his life, I think the casting of Jonah Hill is a phenomenal pick. Hill is a very talented actor outside of the comedy you are used to seeing him in. We've seen him slip into weirder roles, and his performance as Donnie Azoff for Scorsese in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' immediately comes to mind. As far as I know of, Hill isn't much of a singer. It's not exactly the same deferred challenge Rami Malek had with Bohemian Rhapsody, but I don't know if he would be interested in trying to replicate Garcia's voice. Since Apple has the rights to use all the music, though, I would assume that it will be a major part of the movie. How they decide to approach that part of it is going to majorly effect the success, though. 

From a pure story standpoint, I think Jonah Hill can CRUSH this. Garcia had a very fascinating life with a tragic end. His personal story combined with that of the rest of the Dead members(including the death of Brent Mydland) should make for a sad story.