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The Bee Gees are still set to receive the biopic treatment, with Ridley Scott in negotiations with Paramount Pictures to direct the film, Deadline reports.
The yet-untitled project, which has been in the works since 2019, has already cycled through two other prospective directors, with Kenneth Branagh initially signing on and later being replaced by John Carney.
Barry Gibb, the group’s lone surviving brother, will executive produce the film. The studio reportedly sent Scott a draft of the movie after he dazzled executives with early footage from his sequel to 2000’s historical epic Gladiator, on which he recently wrapped production.
Scott and the Bee Gees have a long history. The band’s longtime manager Robert Stigwood — who shepherded the group through an early-’70s slump and toward the career-rejuvenating Saturday Night Fever film and soundtrack — had organized for Scott to direct the medieval film Castle Accident, starring Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The film never materialized and Scott instead made his directorial debut with 1977’s The Duellists, but he still wished to work on a film involving the Bee Gees in some capacity.
READ MORE: Barry Gibb Says Bee Gees’ ‘Best Times’ Came Before Their Fame
The Bee Gees’ Massive, Up-and-Down Career
The Bee Gees’ illustrious career has no shortage of dizzying highs and depressing lows fit for the big screen. The Gibbs formed the group in 1958 and released their first album, The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs, in 1965. Their third album and international debut, Bee Gees’ 1st, arrived two years later and reached the Top 10 in the United States and United Kingdom, turning the group into stars.
A series of smash hits followed over the next several years, but the Bee Gees briefly broke up in 1969. They reunited the following year, but by 1973 their career was floundering. The group pivoted to disco and contributed several songs to 1977’s Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Three of them — “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” — topped the Billboard Hot 100, and Saturday Night Fever sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, turning the Bee Gees into disco’s poster children.
The following year, the group appeared in the star-studded Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band film, which became a massive critical and commercial flop. Yet their next album, 1979’s Spirits Having Flown, yielded three more U.S. No. 1 hits. As the disco backlash mounted, the band’s profile shrank, but with more than 220 million records sold worldwide, they remain one of the bestselling acts of all time. Maurice Gibb died in 2003, and Robin died in 2012.
Bee Gees Albums Ranked
They started out at Beatles copies, transitioned to disco pioneers and never calmed their restless spirits.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
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