{"id":173167,"date":"2026-05-20T16:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/queonnda.com\/singer-billy-joel-expresses-his-dissatisfaction-with-biographical-film\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:25:17","slug":"singer-billy-joel-expresses-his-dissatisfaction-with-biographical-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queonnda.com\/en\/singer-billy-joel-expresses-his-dissatisfaction-with-biographical-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Singer Billy Joel expresses his dissatisfaction with biographical film"},"content":{"rendered":"

Singer<\/a> Billy Joel has criticized the biopic being filmed about him, directed by John Ottman, which he has called “a legal and professional mistake,” while assuring that he does not own the rights to his music or his life, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) reported.<\/p>\n

The film in preparation chronicles the early life of the legendary rocker, although the author of “The Piano Man” is not attached to the project.<\/p>\n

Ottman, editor of the recently released Michael, is directing “Billy & Me,” and Adam Ripp is writing the script for the project for which they obtained biographical rights from Billy Joel’s former manager Irwin Mazur, as well as Jon Small, a longtime friend of the singer, THR explains.<\/p>\n

However, according to a representative for Joel, the singer has been in contact with the filmmakers for several years to confirm that they do not own his rights to the film.<\/p>\n

\"Singer
PHOTO: Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“As of 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not own the rights to Billy Joel’s life and will not be able to obtain the musical rights necessary for this project,” Joel’s representative stated in a statement released by the trade magazine.<\/p>\n

“Billy Joel has not authorized or endorsed this project in any way, and any attempt to move forward without his consent would be a legal and professional mistake,” he adds.<\/p>\n

Given the lengthy development process, it is unclear whether Ottman’s plan for the film was always an unauthorized biopic, or whether he initially hoped Joel would give his approval.<\/p>\n

Ottman has been attached to some of the most important biographical films of the last decade. In addition to “Michael,” he also served as editor of the 2018 biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” for which he won an Oscar for Best Editing. <\/p>\n

Ripp clarified to THR that “‘Billy & Me’ is not a traditional biography of Billy Joel that spans his entire life, nor does it rely on his original music catalog,” she said.<\/p>\n

“The film takes place during Billy’s formative years, before the fame, fortune and iconic songs that made him ‘the piano man.’ Much of the period portrayed focuses on Billy’s early years performing covers with The Hassles and his struggle to find his artistic identity as a young musician,” he added.<\/p>\n

\"Singer
PHOTO: Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“At no time have we ever claimed to control or own the rights to Billy Joel’s original songs, nor was this film conceived around the use of his catalog of hits. The project was always designed as an intimate story about Billy’s origins, focusing on the people and relationships that surrounded him during this specific period of his life,” he continued.<\/p>\n

“In addition, we own the biographical rights to Jon Small, Billy’s lifelong best friend and original drummer, who is actively involved in the production as a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director,” he stressed.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker said the team has “a deep respect for Billy Joel and his extraordinary legacy. Our intention has always been to tell an honest and moving story about the early years of a young artist, before the world knew his name,” he concluded,” reported Agencia EFE.<\/p>\n

Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Singer Billy Joel has criticized the biopic being filmed about him, directed by John Ottman, which he has called “a legal and professional mistake,” while assuring that he does not own the rights to his music or his life, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) reported. The film in preparation chronicles the early life of the legendary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":173166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,73],"tags":[798,784,787],"class_list":{"0":"post-173167","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-famous","9":"tag-entretenimiento-en","10":"tag-famosos-en","11":"tag-musica-en"},"yoast_head":"\nSinger Billy Joel expresses dissatisfaction with biographical film<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Singer Billy Joel expresses his dissatisfaction with the biopic being filmed and claims he does not own the rights to his music.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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