Billy Joel has spoken out against recently announced plans to make a movie about his life.
According to Variety, casting is already underway for director John Ottman’s Billy & Me, which will tell the story of Joel’s pre-fame career through the eyes of his former manager Irwin Mazur.
The film’s producers have reportedly secured the rights to Mazur’s life story, as well as those of Jon Small, who played drums alongside Joel in the late ’60s band the Hassles before the duo formed the heavy metal duo Attila.
Read More: How Billy Joel Briefly Went Heavy Metal
The latter group broke up when Joel began an affair with Small’s wife, who would eventually divorce the drummer and marry Joel. As revealed in Joel’s recent documentary And So It Goes, the incident led the singer to make a suicide attempt that left him in a coma for days.
“I felt very, very guilty about it. They had a child. I felt like a homewrecker,” he recalled. “I was just in love with a woman and I got punched in the nose which I deserved. Jon was very upset. I was very upset.”
It’s unclear if Billy & Me will focus on this affair and the resulting fallout, but regardless of the subject matter Joel has made it clear that does not want his life story in someone else’s hands.
“Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project,” says a statement provided to Variety by a representative for the singer.
“Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided.”
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Gallery Credit: Matt Springer