LOS ANGELES – The announcement that Andre Benjamin — better known as Outkast’s Andre 3000 — would be portraying legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix in a biopic put to rest years of rumors regarding who would play the psychedelic guitar god on the big screen.
The acclaimed rapper-actor-producer is attached to star in “All Is by My Side,” a biopic based on a screenplay from John Ridley (“Red Tails,” “Three Kings”). Ridley will also direct the film, which is produced by Darko Entertainment, Subotica Entertaiment and Matador Pictures.
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“All Is by My Side” is based on interviews and archival materials and “captures the energy, the charisma, (and) the mind-boggling talent of a legend whose musical influence still resonates around the world today,” read Thursday’s official announcement.
Production is slated to get under way in Ireland later this month, but the film has already hit a potentially crippling roadblock: Hendrix’s estate says it has no plans to support the picture.
“Various media outlets have recently published accounts that indicate a feature-length Jimi Hendrix biographical film is nearing production. Experience Hendrix, LLC, the family-owned company entrusted with safeguarding the legacy of Jimi Hendrix and administrator of the Jimi Hendrix music and publishing catalog, has made it known many times in the past that no such film, were it to include original music or copyrights created by Jimi Hendrix, can be undertaken without its full participation,” read the lengthy statement issued by his estate.
“All Is by My Side” is reported to take place in England in 1966-67, the period when Hendrix recorded his heralded debut, “Are You Experienced.”
The lack of original music could prove problematic for marketing a big-screen film to audiences hoping to get authentic Hendrix tunes. But it wouldn’t be the first time a Hendrix-related project had to do without. Showtime’s 2000 made-for-TV film “Hendrix,” starring Wood Harris of “The Wire,” featured covers of his tunes.
Getting a Hendrix flick onto the silver screen has been years in the making. A new rumor pops up at least once a year, starting with Laurence Fishburne (who famously portrayed Ike Turner) initially attached to one project.
A representative of the production companies making “All Is by My Side” said Thursday that they would not comment on the statement from the Hendrix estate.
When asked whether the biopic would feature the iconic rocker’s music, the rep said the production companies “appreciate the valid question, but we’re not getting into specifics outside of what we’ve shared so far.”
‘The Avengers’ in sprint toward $1 billion mark
LOS ANGELES – “The Avengers” is taking a page out of Superman’s comic book — flying faster than a speeding bullet to the billion-dollar mark at the box office.
The superhero blockbuster took in $103.2 million to lead for a second-straight weekend, raising its domestic total to $373.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
With $95.4 million more overseas, “The Avengers” lifted its international receipts to $628.9 million and a worldwide haul of just over $1 billion, only 19 days after it began rolling out in some markets.
“The Avengers” easily fended off Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s vampire romp “Dark Shadows,” which had a so-so domestic start of $28.8 million to finish a distant No. 2.
That’s far below such past Depp-Burton collaborations as “Alice in Wonderland,” which opened with $116.1 million, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which debuted with $56.2 million.
Court allows sale of Gershwin letters
NEW YORK – A New York memorabilia dealer has settled a lawsuit that had sought to block him from selling 135 letters written by lyricist Ira Gershwin.
The Daily News reported that the settlement between memorabilia dealer Gary Zimet and the daughter of Gershwin’s biographer was filed Friday in a Manhattan court.
The biographer’s daughter, Carla Jablonski, had asked the court to block Zimet from selling the letters to the Library of Congress for $325,000.
Jablonski said in her suit that the letters must have been stolen from her home. She hadn’t accused Zimet of the theft.
— From news service reports
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