Filmmaker Nick Cassavetes, best known as the director of 2004 romance drama The Notebook, will tackle the story of the Allman Brothers Band for a new biopic via Sunset Blvd Films.
The as yet untitled Allman Brothers Band film, first announced by Deadline earlier this week, will reportedly touch on Gregg and Duane Allman‘s childhood, early iterations of the band, the group’s eventual rise to global success and celebrity status, and the triumphs and tragedies that came with it over the course of their up-and-down, decades-long career. Cassavetes is set to write and direct the film based on Scott Freeman‘s book, Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band.
Related: Gregg Allman Calls The Allman Brothers’ 1995 Rock Hall Of Fame Induction His “All-Time Low”
“I grew up a huge fan of The Allman Brothers,” Nick Cassavetes told Deadline. “They had a profound influence on the music culture in America and I’m honored to be able to have an opportunity to tell their story.”
Sunset Blvd Films president Len Fico added, “Nick brings passion, perceptive and integrity to this multi-dimensional saga. Beyond creating music that became a cultural touchstone, the Allmans’ story is one of tragic death, betrayal, drug and alcohol use and eventually exoneration and redemption. Nick’s abilities to bring flawed but empathic characters to the screen makes him the only logical choice for the Allmans’ story.”
In other rock n’ roll biopic news, Jonah Hill is set to star as Jerry Garcia in a film about the Grateful Dead by iconic director Martin Scorsese. The Grateful Dead film was similarly confirmed via a report from Deadline earlier this week.