After ‘A Complete Unknown’: Springsteen, the Beatles, and More

Now that the box-office success of A Complete Unknown has achieved the seemingly impossible feat of turning at least a few Gen-Z viewers into Bob Dylan stans, Hollywood’s biopic wave is about to turn into a tsunami. Next up is the Bruce Springsteen movie Deliver Me From Nowhere, starring Jeremy Allen White, and four separate Beatles movies from director Sam Mendes. (To hear the whole episode, go here for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play below).https://player.megaphone.fm/WWO9864074309

In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, we discuss the performances of Timothée Chalamet and the rest of the cast in A Complete Unknown, look forward at the Springsteen and Beatles movies, and discuss what might be next, with Andy Greene joining host Brian Hiatt. 

The pair also express disbelief at the wide U.S. release of the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, in which the singer is portrayed as a CGI monkey. Greene is “astounded” by the decision, noting that Williams “has zero famous songs in the States. He has no touring base in the States. He has no name recognition in the States. He’s a purely European superstar.” Hiatt compares the baffling release strategy to the decision-making behind the notorious flops Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web, suggesting the studio executives operated on a simplistic logic: “People like movies with superheroes. They like movies with musicians. This is a musician.”

In the Beatles segment, they try to understand just how the films will work, given the stated plans to focus each film on a particular Beatle while also telling the band’s whole story. Could the first movie perhaps tell the story through Ringo Starr’s eyes, focusing on the moment the band hired him after tossing out original drummer Pete best? And might the final film focus on George Harrison’s frustrations in the band’s final days?

The conversation also explores how certain films remain out of reach. A Fleetwood Mac movie, for instance, has obvious commercial potential — especially after the success of two fictional takes on their tale, Daisy Jones and the Six and Stereophonic —  but bad blood between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham may doom that idea. 

The episode also delves into other potential ideas for films, from a David Bowie project focusing on his transformation from struggling hippie making “horrible” music to Ziggy Stardust to biopics about Marvin Gaye, Prince, Ronnie Spector, Quincy Jones (maybe done Jobs style with snapshots of key moments from his life), and the Mamas and the Papas. An adaptation of Patti Smith’s Just Kids, ideally starring Kristen Stewart, also comes up. 

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone‘s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out six years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.

From Rolling Stone US.