The Smiley Smile Message Board

Beach Boy's Story Coming to the Big Screen
Source: Variety November 15, 2006


Chief Beach Boy Brian Wilson has made a deal with producer Mark Gordon to tell his life story in a feature film.

Variety says Gordon is teaming with filmmaker David Leaf (who chronicled Wilson's creation of the album "Smile" in his documentary Beautiful Dreamer) and Wilson's managers Ronnie Lippin and Jean Sievers to construct a package that will include rights to Wilson's vast catalog of songs. They will set a writer shortly and then take the package out to studios.

"I love the idea of there being a movie on my life, and I can't wait to see the script," Wilson told the trade, while preparing to sing "Good Vibrations" and "God Only Knows" during his Tuesday night induction into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame. He was being inducted with Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart and George Martin.

Gordon said Wilson's willingness to include the rough spots in his life, and the guidance of Leaf (who has known Wilson for 30 years), gives the movie its core.

http://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17558
http://www.rte.ie/arts/2006/1115/wilsonb.html

Interesting. Of course, they've been talking about a movie for years now, even making mention of it in the old Break Away newsletter,

Let's hope they do a good job. Is this likely to be on the scale of Ray or Walk the Line?

Man, I wish they would make the story about all three Wilson brothers...perhaps a trilogy? A movie on the life of Brian will be great...but theres so much slack that Carl and Denny pick up in the late 60s and early 70s that its gonna be like a black hole if they just stick with BW...

I dunno, this might be good...but who knows.

A movie about every Beach Boy would take too much time, so they settled to the most famous one. I think it's a very good idea, although I'd like to see a "complete" movie too.

EDIT: BTW I hope they use Peter Ames Carlin's book as a guide, besides of course Leaf and Brian himself.

I really hope this comes to fruition this time...Brian deserves something on the level of "Walk the Line" and "Ray".  I only wonder how you manage to tell his story in less than 2 1/2 hours? 

Lets hope its a bit more even handed than 'An American Family' or 'Endless summer' (is that what it was called, the one with Bruce Greenwood), lets have real beards and something which doesn't stop in 1968/1976 etc
I'm sure with Leaf in the picture (no pun intended) it will come out fine, if a little too Brian heavy but then its a film about him! We don't need to see endless bits of Mike going "Hey Brian, what if I go 'I'm pickin' up good vibrations'"

Casting should be the guy who played Casey in Dawsons creek to play Mike Love because his speaking voice is virtually identical.
Brian, I don't know, (Maybe Jeff Bridges for the older man) if like Walk the line they get people to re-sing the songs I don't think it'll work too well, Johnny Cash's drawl is not the same as Brians golden falsetto, i'm sure Mark Linett can isolate Brian singing from the vaults so that would all be fine.
Matt Damon should have a cameo as Al Jardine, and John Stamos should have no involvement.

Just to give an idea of what Mark Gordon does.


http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0330428/

More from Wilson:

"I love the idea of there being a movie on my life, and I can't wait to see the script. When I see the movie I'll be ill at ease at some of the bad parts but I remember when we made PET SOUNDS, and I knew we were up to something spiritual and special. I have that feeling again.  I want the film to be as honest as possible, and these dark sides belong to it."

Is it possible to keep Leaf totally out of this project?

Please, no more BB biopics!! Not even about just one of them. The first two were done SO-O-O-O badly. I rather see a good balanced documentary made than something semi-fictionalized with actors.

Brian's story has been so over-romanticized in the service of telling a good tale over the years, I just don't see how yet another biopic can do his life genuine justice. I'm far more interested in who the real human being Brian Wilson is than the larger-than-life character his legend has become. Unfortunately, that's not what sells tickets or DVDs.

Why?  I'm sure Leaf will be more even handed then Mike was for the ABC mini-series, the one that had to have the disclaimer for night 2.

In fact, when they make the movie, everytime the "Mike" character appears on screen they should put the same disclaimer used for the ABC mini-series at the bottom of the screen as a running joke.

I've seen how Beautiful Dreamer was 'even handed'. I'd say that both sides have had their chance to produce revisionist crap. 

No more, please. If "Ray" had Leaf in the production team we'd learn that Ray Charles was a junkie and cheater, but only because his band members didn't support his ideas.  ;D

YES! My chance finally to be Marilyn Wilson...  ;D  :lol

I can see this done in the style of the Cash flick. Safe. Very little on the fellow band members. I have that DVD and still don't know their names. The stuff that is well known such Murry, 64 tour mental  breakdown, the drugs and then Landy will be the bulk of the story but forget anything about the group as such.  The love-interest formula  can't be f***ed with so I don't see Marilyn objecting, she was the only good thing for him. Some how I don't see time in the movie to mention "Getting I O M Head" :o Maybe the bloopers!
Of course like Ray and W T Line, you need a happy ending. (Que live shot of Real Brian launching into H and V from SMiLE tour.) ;D

Movie writing offers to yours truly care of this board.

I don't see this having appeal to hardcore BB fans like those who frequent this board - all we'll see is how much is being left out, what "artistic license changes" have been wrought with accuracy sacrificed, etc.  Brian's life journey is an incredible story but didn't Leaf already tell it in Beautiful Dreamer?  Do we need a biopic going over the same ground, ending with the triumph of Smile?  On the other hand, for the general public with only a passing acquaintance with Brian's story, this could be a great vehicle to further appreciation for Briain's music.

And didn't Monty Python already make this film? ;)

Hmm...A chance to see Brian Wilson's Life on the big screen is intresting..

And his life on script is Oscar worthy if done right!!

Big question now is....Who plays Brian?

Don't forget that Cash was a solo-artist while Brian was the producer/songwriter/singer of one of the biggest bands in history and part of them were even his family. You can't just leave them out like they did with Al Jardine in "Summer dreams".


BTW Luther Perkins and Marshall Grant (later on drums W.S. Holland)

I agree with this. Give me a good documentary any day. Especially in the case of Brian Wilson. Actors can't due Brian's story/condition justice. You show some of those disturbing photographs and equally disturbing interviews that we've all seen and people will get the picture....

They could do it in the style of Ray, since he was the producer(?)/songwriter/singer. Raylettes/The Beach Boys, Ray/Brian, and  Ray/Brian evolving with their music that sort of thing. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but you get the picture

Yeah..he sucks. And he's a horrible director. Just bad.  >:D

I hope it doesn't get made.  It will be bad.  I don't think it will be good for Brian.  Besides, it doesn't really have a classic "happy" ending, as pointed out by whatever person made the A & E biography documentary on Brian's life.  Brian is doing very well, but he still looks odd to most people.  I don't see how you can get around that and be honest.  Sure, he went back on the stage, but can you imagine some actor portraying his hand gestures and facial expressions and having it come off well?  Plus, everyone in Brian's life comes across as being manipulative, including both Marilyn and Melinda, just due to Brian's passive nature.  The film will either be a whitewash, or Brian will not come off well.  His reality, even now, is just a little too raw. 

Any time Brian's music can be reached by a large group of people I'm happy. Of course it won't be as accurate as we like, but it's better than nothing.

Agreed I cringe when I see his name. He is to Brian what  Elliot Mintz is to Lennon

What I hate about these movies is that the truth is interesting but they always invent stuff. Even Walk The Line.  June and Johnny didn't get close until 1961 or so. Elvis and Jerry Lee never toured together. Elvis didn't give Cash any pills because he was straight back then etc. I mean Viviane Cash was supposed of been very supportive of his music. The film could have been GREAT had they just paid closer attention to years and not make statments that don't back up facts. Brian is going to be 300 pounds in 1968 again and not writing. Just watch.

Yep, Cash even said on Larry King that Elvis was clean back then.

"Great balls of fire" was also not truthful . But as long as it hasn't happened, I imagine a beautiful and honest Brian-movie (I probably would have said the same thing about An American Family some years ago, though)

Cameron Crowe might be a good choice for director.  He's a fan and he might be able to pull it off and 'do it right.'

After seeing the Movie version of the Broadway Musical  RENT,I'd like to see Christopher Columbus direct the Brian Wilson story.
Columbus did an amazing job of adapting RENT from the stage to the big screen.

"One song....Glory
He had the world at his feet...Glory"

Big Bri

Just a few days after Brian Wilson was inducted into the UK Hall of Fame, the songwriter has made a deal with “Saving Private Ryan” producer Mark Gordon to start work on a feature length biopic about his life.
David Leaf who has known Wilson for 30 years and previously filmed Wilson for the documentary “Beautiful Dreamer” is also on board to help with the new film.

Rights to use Wilson’s song catalogue has been granted and a scriptwriter is soon to be appointed.

Talking to Daily Variety, Wilson said, "I love the idea of there being a movie on my life, and I can't wait to see the script.”

Talking about how the film would tackle some of the hard parts of his life, Wilson said, "It's tough, and when I see the movie I'll be ill at ease at some of the bad parts. But I remember when we made 'Pet Sounds,' and I knew we were up to something spiritual and special. I have that feeling again."

The producers will take the film package to the studios once the script is complete



....now theres a thought. Tom Hanks plays the older Brian and his son, who was in a episode of "Band of Brothers" the younger.   Think Forrest Gump meets Brian Wilson. ;D


edit

Colin Hanks is the man. Here he is in training for the Sloop John B pool video shoot!

http://videodetective.com/photos/578/024295_25.jpg

You never know. This could be really good-- although I do think it will be hard to satisfy the diehard fans. But that's a small group. Biopics are never literal. They just can't be. But that doesn't mean they're always bad.

I also think that a good actor could absolutely pull off Brian's mannerisms. Look at Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote. Look at Geoffrey Rush in Shine. Look at Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind. Some of those are more literal than others, but none of them come off as charicatures.

I think it would be most interesting if focused on the contradiction between Brian's extraordinary talent and his very human flaws-- kind of like Ray. His inability to overcome Murry, his inability to be an adequate husband for Marilyn (despite his love for her), his oddness and his "new best friend" thing, his addictions, his problems with his daughters...juxtaposed with his prowess in the studio and with songwriting. Brian needs more exposure. A lot of people either don't recognize his name or think he's just some weirdo recluse who wrote a few corny surf songs before he went crazy and was never heard from again.

I like the idea of using a method of storytelling similar to "Ray" Amy.  The best biopics aren't just the same old retelling of the story that people know.  They're supposed to take you deeper, expose a more personal side.  Brian's life lends itself to this perfectly.  As you said, contrasting his brilliant and innovative musical mind with his highly naive social personality and depression would be a really interesting way to go.  This is all assuming, of course, that they can find the perfect actor to bring truth to the role.  I can't imagine playing a character like Brian would be easy. 

Someone here mentioned "32 Short Films About Glenn Gould" as an example of a way to do Brian's story and I think it needs that kind of fresh approach. I'm also a big fan of the biopic "The Life & Death Of Peter Sellers" which had the novel conceit of making it look like the deceased Sellers was directing the film himself, stopping the action and reworking the script when he thought the depiction was unflattering!

I wholeheartedly agree that Cameron Crowe would be a great choice as director (remember the lingering close-up of the "Pet Sounds" album and the use of "Feel Flows" during the end credits in "Almost Famous"?), but please keep Chris Columbus away from it unless you want pure formula sap.

Why make a movie of Brian's life?

What's the point?

Music bio's sell. As mentioned Ray, Cash plus Tina a few years ago. Didn't Ike come out looking good in that one! :afro

I understand there is money in making a sensational rock music bio, but why is there a fan interest in seeing Brian's life made into a movie.

That might be the only way that this movie could be good. A screen adaptation of Catch A Wave, if you will.

It's just that with David Leaf involved, some don't think that what you're proposing is going to happen. I'd love to be proven otherwise and I'd definitely pay full price if the movie winds up being what you described.

I have my reservations about David Leaf being involved too. That said, I still think it's better to have an overly sympathetic movie than none at all.

The way I see it, most people really have no idea about Brian's life. I was talking to the guy who cuts my hair, and I told him I was going to the BW concert next week. I said, "Do you know who he is?" And he knew the name, but he said, "Wasn't he really messed up on drugs?" And that's really all he knew. He knew Brian was in the Beach Boys and he knew he was really messed up on drugs. Then when I ventured to say that people tend to underestimate the Beach Boys, he said, "Well, they just look like a bunch of boring, clean cut guys." And that's kind of what the general public thinks. Boring, clean cut... surfing music... one of them got messed up on drugs. Not heard from again for years. Then he played the Tonight Show or something last year.
I think Brian deserves better than that.  Hey, "Amadeus" was totally inaccurate, but Mozart became like a pop star for a while there, didn't he? And the movie was pretty entertaining.

I wouldn't be interested if Brian wouldn't be involved. Maybe HE really wants people to learn more about the person behind Brian Wilson. Not a documentary about the Beach Boys and all the public Brian Wilsons.
Maybe it would be a good idea to have a 'today Brian' commentate between scenes, a bit like "Forrest Gump"!

I was not a big  fan of the beautiful dreamer doc so would not be overly keen on leaf being involved. cameron crowe would be a good choice for director. how about

sam rockwell as al
billy cruddup as dennis
crispin glover as murry (that would be funny)

matt dillon was good in grace of my heart in a similiar brian role, gotta be jeff bridges for the older brian

That guy from Almost Famous? I always thought he had that Bruce-'71-look about him....

There are so many moments in Brian's life, where i wish i was standing right there.

Maybe if this movie is done right...It might seem like that.

Now that Brian is involved...People are gonna know the real deal..I guess!!

Not a hope of this happening - should the movie ever come to pass (and i rate the chances of that at maybe 25% - this project is about 2 years too late), I guarantee the following scenes will not even be considered:

Manson recording at Brian's home studio, Brian & Carl behind the board...
Brian's relationship with Diane...
Anything to do with Landy...
Anything to do with Gary Usher...
Almost anything to do with Marilyn...
Brian trying to get his daughters to snort heroin...
What Brian did in Holland...

Brian may want the film to be as honest as possible, but somehow I doubt the proverbial "wife & managers" are of the same mindset. Any BW movie needs an outside POV.

Anything to do with Gary Usher?  Even the early years?  Have I missed something about Brian and Gary (other than the Landy thing later)?  Although I have a guess.

I was about to ask the same thing...

 I believe it probably won't be all that great.  Mainly because DL is involved.  The movie will probably have to focus on a specific area  or two because there is too much to cover.  It will probably be fairly weak. 

sounds interesting but personally i think if they span Brian's whole career it wont do it justice like 2 hours isn't enough i think. To make a decent movie about Brian i think they should just concentrate on one particular moment in his life otherwise it just becomes too generalised

I don't know if it's gonna be good or bad (how could I?), but I think it's certainly gonna be interesting. The combination of "Amadeus" and "A Beautiful Mind" comes to my mind. And yes, they almost have to focus on certain time periods. It's simply impossible to compress 50 years into 2 hours. Let's just hope that the beards are real... :lol

I think I should write the movie. 

First you should write the Beach Boys' gear-book...  ;)

The Beach Boys' story needs to be told on a HBO 15 episode mini-series. There, it can cover enough ground and have the flexibility to tell the real story. :3d

I've actually been thinking about writing a "pilot" episode for an HBO type series, not directly about the Beach Boys, but heavily based on them.  It's sort of like if Entourage was set in 1965 and Vincent Chase was a hip musical leader of a huge band.  Sice it would be so hard to tell the Beach Boys story and do it justice, I figured why not just sort of homage the whole time period.

Nice one, Josh. Thats something I would definitely be interested in...something I wish I could work on myself tbh.

Some people seem to have a problem with David Leaf...why???
I think the SMILE docu is really good and I read on the boards that Al Jardine, Mike Love, Marilyn Wilson etc... were asked to be a part of this film, but refused. So it's really not David Leaf's fault, isn't it?

@Jasper: I guess it's because he (Melinda too) likes to blandish some thing about Brian like the drugs or make the other BBs look like "parasites". I agree that "Beautiful dreamer" is a great film and I think it's also great that Leaf is involved in the movie but he shouldn't be the only producer imo...

@Rocker: OK. But "Beautiful Dreamer" has a well balanced view on the drug-topic IMHO. Brian talks about the amphetamines, marihuana, sandwiches etc... he took and how he wrote "California Girls" on LSD. On the other hand, there are Voose and Parks saying that drugs are the biggest red-herring in BW history. I think they and Melinda just want to point out that the main problem at that point weren't the drugs, it was the undiagnosed illness.

You are going to have to write me as Marilyn then  :lol

"Brian! Why a sandbox? Who are all of these weird people in our house? Your doing drugs other then Asprin? Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!!"

There my audition piece. You dig  8)

Well, im directing, and you get the part!

 ;D

The drugs issue is the only thing one can't possibly blame on 'the parasites' (Rovell sisters and the Beach Boys). Call it a big red-herring (haha) and the field is clear for some good old bashing of the usual villains.

As long as Mike Love is vilified then I'll be happy.

Has anyone heard anything about the movie?

I just looked through "Catch a wave" by Peter Ames Carlin again yesterday and I still think they should use this great book for the movie. Only they should start with the rooftop-reunion (of course using the original footage) and not with the Landmark thing, and then fade back to the early days, just like Peter did in his book.

Just on looks alone, I have always thought two of the Baldwin brothers (Alec and Billy) could pull off playing Brian (Alec) and Dennis (Billy), especially Alec.  Unfortunately, now Alec is too old to play a young Brian.  Perhaps an older Brian. 


I agree.  By far the best book to use as a reference guide for a movie on Brian and his life.

It's going to be Leaf's book, I'm sure, because he's the one that's the latest to try to get it made.  It would be best to use as many books and articles as possible for sources, but that won't be done, because it would get too expensive.  It will be interesting to see how well Leaf does if he manages to get the financing.  He's never directed a non-documentary film before, so it's impossible to tell how well he would do just from that standpoint. 

as anyone heard anything else about this? i suggest Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) direct a trilogy each part covering a different decade. he seems to me to be the only director who could handle something like this. he's really good at juggling characters and weaving story lines, he is from Los Angeles and is probably a Beach Boys fan (he makes good use of God Only Knows at the end of Boogie Nights)

100% agree. If it's anyone but a master filmmaker like Anderson, you can bet it will be garbage and clich'd.

God help us if that Brett Ratner guy gets the gig. I heard his name bandied around. What a total square, and lame filmmaker to boot.

If Paul Thomas Anderson did it, it would be so amazing. But biopics almost always suck. I doubt he would do it. Scorcese would be cool too.

Just the year of "Smile" would be enough. The backstory is clear, and what came later is implied by the end of the "Smile" year.

Great concept. The BB career has for better or worse been covered on the small screen and of course much is brushed over or missed by time constraints. A brief period would make great viewing but may generate only limited interest from non fans unfortunately.

Someone mentioned Beautiful Dreamer.   Thanks!!!!!   I'd somehow forgotten  about that one as I was going through my BB DVDs recently.  I'm going to get that back out an watch it again ..........haven't seen it since it was released.


Anybody know where one can find the bio channel film that was shown a few years ago?  I had most of it on tape but have no idea where it might be now.

I think the "Smile" saga, if done right, could have the largest appeal. Plus, so much actual dialogue and day to day action has been captured in the interviews, the articles and news clippings. Also the amount of talking captured on the session tapes. Often times, movie dialogue sounds like it was written around interview stories from years later, whereas the "Smile" saga was well-documented and unearthed.

It would not be hard to recount how the Beach Boys got to be so big by 1966. While Brian is working on "Smile," archival footage could be used from "Beach Boys in London" to show what they are doing. Marianne Faithful recounts their biggest hits and career history in the first three minutes. In fact, use that clip for the opening credits. When "Beach Boys in London" gets to the part where it zooms in on that news clipping that reads: "What is Brother Brian Doing Back at Home?," then you cut to Brian conducting the "Fire" sessions. Begin saga.

Anyway, I'm just saying...

Anybody know where one can find the bio channel film that was shown a few years ago?  I had most of it on tape but have no idea where it might be now.

All on youtube if you can be bothered.

Heres part one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_KtqKVOSUk

Yeah it's doable.....

After Leaf's and Mike's funerals.

I don't think David Leaf would block directors like Martin Scorcese or Paul Thomas Anderson from directing with whatever vision they choose, so long as it's factual. David Leaf is a very sensible guy, in my opinion. He's been encouraging and helpful to directors, with regards to Brian, through the years.

As for Mike, well... who knows. He had his version, with his director, John Stamos. Maybe he'd allow Brian's story to be told from that POV in a biopic.

Yeah. Just imagine Scorcese, first day of shooting. Take one of Brian writing and directing the H&V rant in Wally Heider's. David Leaf just storms into the set, halts the proceedings, takes a good breath, and says:

"Martin oh Martin..... Sources, please?"

I like the Smile era idea, but I'd like to see more than that.  I think a series of short vignettes...jumping to different periods of Brian's life without the stock biopic type linear narrative.  Past films about the BB's have proven the story is way too long and convoluted to attempt to tell a linear story, so why try again?

And I may be raked over the coals for this, but anybody else think Josh Hartnett would be a good choice for Brian?
http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/josh-hartnett.jpg (http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/josh-hartnett.jpg)

Looks quite a bit like him, tall, has star appeal.  He's not exactly Marlon Brando, but I can't think of another known young actor that fits the bill more.

I can actually see Hartnett being a good choice if he grew his hair out.  I never would have thought of him, but I think he could do a decent job.

I don't see the Smile saga as making it in a big-screen, mainstream BB/BW biopic., other than covered as a small part of the story.   I don't think the music would appeal to the masses.  People go to see biopics to see music they're familiar with and is easy to digest, as well as to sell soundtracks. 

My understanding is that David Leaf himself would direct the biopic.  The news release mentions wanting to get a screenplay written, but not seeking a director.  David is a filmmaker, albeit of documentaries, but maybe he wants to get into narrative films.  He now has the rights to the story.  Rob Reiner had them before, but apparently let them lapse (or it's a competing project).   I still don't see it happening.  The time span covered is probably too great.  Plus there's the fact that all the parties of the BB are so protective of their images and so litigious. 

Steven Soderbergh had a film project in development for the Wilson/Landy story, but I'm not sure what happened with that one.  It would cover a relatively small period of time, so it would seem doable.  I just don't know if Brian and/or Melinda Wilson would want to see that happen if they could prevent it.  One thing that makes me not want to see a Brian Wilson story onscreen is the fact that he is a vulnerable person and I certainly wouldn't want to see anything done on his life that would hurt him.

Caught this movie for the first time last night. Dewey Cox story.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbmpo_tDlvg


The clip covers the SMiLE period quite well don't you think?  ;D

That was awesome!  I had heard about the Smile "homage" in the movie but never actually saw it.  I loved that he looked like late 70's Brian, and telling his bandmate to learn how to play the fodaing theremin was classic.

Not to derail much, but was the movie itself any good?

Think of the movies 'Ray'/ 'Johny Cash' and 'Naked Gun' rolled in to one and you have the idea.
Lots of music history references and listen to the lyrics of the songs. Very well done.
Lots of clips on youtube.  :-D

Looks-wise, Jack Black could be a good Brian.

Jeff Bridges would make a great Murry.