Billy Joel Slams Unauthorized Biopic 'Billy and Me' Before Filming Begins
A Billy Joel biopic is officially in development — but the Piano Man himself wants nothing to do with it.
Director John Ottman and screenwriter Adam Ripp announced Tuesday that they are moving forward with Billy and Me, a feature film covering Joel's early years before fame. Casting is currently underway, with production scheduled to begin this fall in Winnipeg, Canada and New York. Within hours of the announcement, a representative for Joel issued a sharp statement making clear the 77-year-old has not authorized the project and never will.
"Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel's life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project," the rep said in a statement to People. "Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided."
Before Piano Man
Billy and Me focuses on Joel's pre-fame years, covering the period from 1966 — when his first manager, Irwin Mazur, discovered him — through his landmark recording deal with Columbia Records in 1972, one year before "Piano Man" made him a household name. The film is told from Mazur's perspective, and the production holds Mazur's exclusive life rights.
Joel's longtime friend and early bandmate Jon Small is also involved as a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director. Small drummed alongside Joel in two early bands — the Hassles and Attila, a short-lived acid-rock duo whose 1970 album Joel has since described as "psychedelic bullshit." Small offered enthusiastic support for the film in a statement, saying he first met Joel when he was 16 and that the script "truly understood who he was before the world knew his name."
The involvement of Small adds an awkward personal dimension to the story. Small's then-wife, Elizabeth Weber, left him for Joel — an affair that contributed to Attila's breakup and sent Joel into a deep depression and, by his own account, a period of suicide attempts. Whether Weber will appear in the film, and how the relationship will be handled, has not been disclosed.
The Rights Dispute
Ottman's team is threading a legal needle. Because the film covers Joel's years performing cover songs rather than his own catalog, the director argues original music rights are not required. "The film neither depicts nor seeks to use any of Billy Joel's original music because it takes place during his formative years performing cover songs with the Hassles and struggling to find his artistic identity," Ottman said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
Joel's camp isn't buying it. The spokesperson's statement made clear that the objection extends beyond music to life rights, which the filmmakers do not hold.
This is not the first time this project has hit a wall. Ripp previously attempted a Joel biopic in 2022 under the title Piano Man, developed with Michael Jai White's Jaigantic Studios. That version never got off the ground.
The Biopic Boom Behind It
Ottman brings real credentials to the project. He served as lead editor on Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic released earlier this year that crossed $700 million at the global box office. The commercial success of that film — along with the recent wave of musical biopics including Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman, and Back to Black — has clearly emboldened Hollywood to keep mining rock royalty for IP, authorized or not.
Billy and Me follows a two-part HBO documentary on Joel, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, released in 2025 with Joel's full participation and cooperation. That film represented the version of his story Joel wanted told. This one, apparently, is not.
Curious for more stories that keep you informed and entertained? From the latest headlines to everyday insights, YourLifeBuzz has more to explore. Dive into what’s next.