Once and Sing Street director John Carney announced for Bee Gees biopic

Dublin director John Carney has been announced as the director of an as-yet-untitled biopic about the Bee Gees, for Paramount Pictures.

Of course, it's not the first time that Carney's work has been centred around a strong musical theme – having previously written and directed Once (2007), featuring the Academy Award-winning song 'Falling Slowly', by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. He's also written and directed musical comedy-drama films Begin Again (2013) and Sing Street (2016). Both Once and Sing Street have been adapted into musical stage productions.

In May 2021, it was also reported that Lionsgate secured the worldwide rights to make Fascinating Rhythm – a musical drama directed by Carney, inspired by the life of composer George Gershwin, produced by Martin Scorsese and Irwin Winkler, among others.

The news about the upcoming Bee Gees film was announced by entertainment industry website Deadline – who also confirmed that Academy Award nominee John Logan, known for his work on Gladiator (2000), The Aviator (2004), and Skyfall (2012), will write the script.

Belfast writer-director Kenneth Branagh was originally attached to direct, but departed the project in late 2021, due to scheduling conflicts.

The Bee Gees' Barry Gibb will serve as executive producer, and is described as "very involved in the narrative film".

The group were originally formed in 1958, and made up of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. Over the course of a remarkable career, they sold over 220 million records worldwide, and scored nine No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

Maurice died in January 2003 at the age of 53, while Robin died in May 2012, aged 62.

According to Deadline, "Graham King of GK Films [Bohemian Rhapsody] will produce along with Amblin, and Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider and Jane Featherstone via Sister."