Freddie Mercury, Elton John, and now Boy George. Rock music biopics are everything right now, making a ton of money an even winning Oscars. Rocketman had a strong debut last weekend with potential for a lot more, and MGM wants to get in the game with their own music drama centering on Boy George, lead singer of the ’80s pop band Culture Club.
MGM has set writer/director Sacha Gervasi(Hitchcock and Anvil! The Story of Anvil), to be at the helm of a Boy George film that Deadline says will “explore his humble beginnings in an Irish a working-class family, through his rise to the top of the international charts with the ’80s band Culture Club.” Culture Club was behind such iconic hits as “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya”, “Karma Chameleon” and “Do You Want To Hurt Me”, while Boy George was known for his famously androgynous appearance and unique fashion sense.
While Boy George, real name George O’Dowd, had his problems with drugs and his story will be a familiar one to this genre, unlike others he never really hid who he was from the public. He long referred to himself as bisexual before that kind of thing was readily accepted.
No word on any contenders to star but they’ve got a pretty daunting job ahead of them. Boy George is a unique figure with a style all of his own and capturing his spirit will be challenging. Twenty years ago I might’ve said Tilda Swinton could pull it off. Actually, she probably still could.
As a child of the ’80s and ’90s, Culture Club was a big part of the soundtrack of my childhood. Here’s a video of my favorite of their many hits, “Time (Clock of the Heart)” which dropped in 82.
