The Rolling Stones have signed a multi-million dollar deal to produce a biopic about the band, with frontman Mick Jagger and guitarists Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood reported to have put pen to paper on a contract with 101 Studios.
101 Studios is better known for television series such as "Landman," "Yellowstone" and "The Agency." The agreement with the band was reportedly finalized last month.
A source said the Rolling Stones' story was coming to the big screen, adding that the band loved what 101 Studios had done in the past and believed they were in safe hands. The source said it was still early, but the deal had been closed.
The same source said casting had not yet begun, and that work was currently focused on how the film would look, what tone it would have, and which stories it would tell.
Jagger's vision for the film
Earlier this year, Jagger had said he had considered the idea of a biopic and expressed a wish for an actor around 20 years old to play him during the period when he first became famous.
Speaking previously to E Talk, Jagger said he had thought about it a great deal and that the difficulty with casting was that he wanted the film to include the very beginning, when the band became famous. He said he did not want that period ignored, noting he had been just 19 or 20 at the time. He said the usual approach was to cast a 32-year-old to play a 19-year-old, and that he did not want that. He wanted someone around 20, or at least in their twenties.
The 83-year-old rock star also wants a relatively unknown actor to play him. He said it would need to be a fairly unknown actor, not a big star, someone standing on the threshold of fame. He said that person would need to carry that same energy, along with a certain innocence toward the world of show business and toward everything about to happen to them, toward all the madness and the fun.
Comparisons to other music biopics
In June, speaking to GQ about the possibility of a biopic, Jagger said he was interested, though he did not want to reveal exactly how he imagined it, adding that he already knew how he pictured it. He said there were many ways to make a biopic, and that most of the time, filmmakers pick a small piece of someone's life and frame it around other elements.
He pointed to the Bob Dylan film as an example, noting it focused on the moment Dylan moved to an electric sound. He said the key question was always what to focus on, and which two-year period held real interest. He noted the Dylan film covered two years, while the James Brown film, which he produced, covered a slightly longer stretch of time.
Background on the band
The Rolling Stones formed in London in 1962 and are considered one of the most influential rock bands in history, known for songs including "Satisfaction" and "Paint It Black." Jagger has fronted the group since its founding, alongside Richards on guitar, with Wood joining as a guitarist in the 1970s. 101 Studios' television credits include the oil-industry drama "Landman," the ranching saga "Yellowstone" and the spy series "The Agency."
News of the deal was also noted by the Daily Mail's celebrity desk, which pointed out that the agreement follows the start of filming on a separate four-part Beatles biopic project directed by Sam Mendes.
