As Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody hits box office highs and gets “Don’t Stop Me Now” permanently stuck in everyone’s brain, Hollywood is setting its sights on a project featuring the music of another prolific musician.
According to Variety, Universal has a movie based on Prince’s famous songs in the works. Per the report, the studio has scored the rights to an undisclosed collection of Prince’s music, which will be the backdrop to an upcoming film.
Though it may seem the most obvious choice, Variety reports that the film in the works is not a biopic of the singer, who died at the age of 57 in 2016. The reason? Prince’s 1984 film, Purple Rain.
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While not explicitly a biopic, rock musical Purple Rain told a narrative coming-of-fame story with Prince at the center (his rock star character was called “The Kid” in the film). Variety reports that Universal wants to do something completely original with the music material instead.
Bohemian Rhapsody is the obvious comparison given the nostalgia-producing soundtrack, but it’s Mamma Mia!, another Universal feature, that Variety sites as the style the new film hopes to emulate. Possible concept: An aspiring rockstar invites three women to his biggest show to date, in hopes of finding out which one is his real biological sister? Just spitballing here, this is probably the bad version!
Regardless of what this yet-to-be-titled Prince film is about, the music rights alone should be enough to draw fans in. Who cares about the plot when you can finally scream “Don’t have to be rich to be my girl!” in a movie theater, without any weird looks?
For those who are eager to learn more about Prince's life and legacy, fear not: Ava DuVernay has got you covered. The Wrinkle In Time director will helm a new Prince doc for Netflix, which is already in production with the blessing of the late star's estate.
He may be gone, but onscreen and through his music, Prince's legacy will live on forever.