A Boy George biopic has been announced

The 80s pop icon is the latest musician to have their life turned into a film.

Following the successes of Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, it has been revealed that a biopic about Boy George is in development. Deadline announced that Hitchcock and Anvil! director, Sacha Gervasi, will write and direct the feature-length film developed by MGM studios.

The currently untitled film will explore the Culture Club frontman’s humble beginnings, growing up in a working-class Irish family, to his rise to international fame in the 80s. George, full name George Alan O’Dowd, has sold more than 100 million singles and 50 million albums with Culture Club and as a solo singer.

Dubbed the song that no one admits to buying by George himself, “Karma Chameleon” is one of the best selling songs of all time. Although it was the band’s last Number 1, due to George’s battle with heroin addiction and tensions within the group the band split in 1986.

George is not the only singer having a biopic in the works, MGM is also developing a film about Aretha Franklin’s life, starring Jennifer Hudson as Franklin.

Jonathan Glickman, MGM’s Motion Picture Group President tole Deadline “There is no filmmaker better suited than Sacha Gervasi to tell George’s confessional story with the irreverence and emotion it deserves.”

Gervasi has previously called George “a trailblazer and a true original. In the London clubs of the ’80s, George was impossible to miss and everyone knew he would be a star long before the world had ever heard a note of Culture Club’s iconic songs.”

Critically acclaimed rock documentary Anvil: The Story of Anvil won Gervasi the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature.

“As you can imagine, George’s life story is wickedly entertaining, yet also poignant and inspiring. I’m both honored and excited to be the one to guide it onto the big screen.” Gervasi continues.

words
Phoebe Gardner