Apple has announced one of their biggest upcoming projects to create an original biopic for the iconic American rock band Grateful Dead. There are limited details as the project is still developing but Apple has revealed that they cast Jonah Hill to play guitarist/frontman Jerry Garcia and Martin Scorsese will be producing the biopic.
Apple has the rights to use the songs by the Grateful Dead that will be featured in the movie and Jonah Hill will also be producing alongside Scorsese. The executive producers are the surviving members of the band including Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh, and Garcia’s daughter Trixie.
Scorsese was the executive producer for the Grateful Dead 2017 documentary “Long Strange Trip” and is working on another film “Killers of the Flower Moon” which is another Apple Original. Hill and Scorsese will be working together after their first film together “The Wolf of Wall Street” with high anticipations for this project.
The film will detail the rise and fall of the great American band from the humble beginnings of the band forming in 1965 performing in the Bay Area to the ending of the band following the passing of Jerry Garcia in 1995. Grateful Dead became a symbol of American subcultural after the release of their first self-titled album ‘The Grateful Dead’ in 1967 and grew a massive fan base known as “Deadheads” that would flock to all their shows.
The band splitting up in 1995 surprisingly didn’t diminish the band’s enduring popularity as Garcia’s songs are continued to be played by offshoot group, Dead & Company. The new biopic will be a testament to the ongoing popularity of the Grateful Dead band lasting over 50 years. Apple has yet to confirm the release date, but it will be available on the Apple TV+.
