Bon Jovi is getting the big screen treatment.
Universal has won a bidding war to make a feature film about the rock band behind such hits as “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and “It’s My Life.”
The screenplay is being written by Cody Blotter, who wrote the new crypto-thriller “The Killing Satoshi” starring Pete Davidson and Casey Affleck.
The director has not been decided yet, nor has the casting of the group’s main members been decided. Founding members include singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres, all of whom are still in the band, as well as guitarist Richie Sambora (who left the group in 2013) and bassist Alec Jon Such (who left the group in 1994 and died in 2022).
Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. It’s unclear which chapter of the band’s history will be the focus of the film, and whether it will focus on one formative event, like “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” or something more expansive, like the Elton John biopic “Rocketman.”
Producers for the Bon Jovi film include Kevin J. Walsh and Gotham Chopra of Religion of Sports. Universal production and development director Jacqueline Garrel will oversee the project for the studio.
Music-centered biopics are hugely popular at the box office, with recent hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Elvis” and “Bob Marley: One Love.” Not all movies inspired by musicians have been successful, with big flops including “Springsteen: Delivering Me from Nowhere” and the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black.” Universal holds the international rights to “Michael,” a movie about Michael Jackson that is scheduled for release in April. Meanwhile, Sam Mendes is currently working on four interrelated “Beatles” movies at Sony.
