Billy Joel fans who have been waiting “The Longest Time” for a biopic can finally breathe a sigh of relief — on Thursday (March 10), Variety reported that Piano Man, an appropriately titled movie about Joel’s early days, is currently in the works at Michael Jai White’s Jaigantic Studios.
The biopic will detail the early moments in Joel’s career, “from being discovered by Irwin Mazur, who managed the band The Hassles that Joel joined as a teenager, to his breakout performance in 1972 that captured the attention of Clive Davis.”
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Piano Man is set to be written and directed by Adam Ripp, son of Artie Ripp who gave Joel his first record deal as a soloist and produced the singer’s 1971 debut album, Cold Spring Harbor. Executive producers for the movie include White, Mayne Berke and Donovan de Boer, as well as Mazur and Ripp. The “Piano Man,” however, will not contribute to the project in any capacity.
According to Variety, a representative for Joel said he “is not involved with this film project, and that no rights in music, name/likeness or life story will be granted.” The music needs for the film are reportedly “yet to be determined.”
Jaigantic Studios instead acquired Mazur’s life rights — the music manager served as Joel’s representative from 1970 to 1972; Mazur’s father owned the Long Island club that Joel, along with The Hassles, got his start in 1966.
“Billy Joel has been a part of my life since my father signed him to his record label when I was 4 years old; his music is ingrained in my DNA and it’s been a dream of mine as a filmmaker to explore and celebrate the untold story of how Billy Joel became the Piano Man,” Ripp said in a statement to Variety.
Mazur added, “What a dream come true! These are the real-life events I witnessed first-hand that shaped Billy from a keyboard player in the local Long Island band, The Hassles, into the iconic musician, singer-songwriter, and entertainer who thrills audiences around the world, today.”
There is currently no information on when pre-production for Piano Man will begin. Though Joel will not be involved in the film, he has plenty to keep him busy over the next few months — he is scheduled to have several stadium concerts, with the next stop at the Campus World Stadium in Orlando on March 12. Joel also has six scheduled appearances at Madison Square Garden between March 24 and Aug. 24.