The late Jerry Garcia’s band life story is headed to the big screen…
Jonah Hill is set to play the late half-Spanish American guitarist, singer and songwriter in a feature about The Grateful Dead from director Martin Scorsese.
Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the writers behind biopics like Dolemite Is My Name and Big Eyes, penned the screenplay about the infamous jam band.
Apple, where the project is set up, has acquired the right to use the Grateful Dead’s music in the film.
The Grateful Dead was founded in the Bay Area in the 1960s as a part of San Francisco’s burgeoning counter-culture movement.
Garcia acted as the lead guitarist, as well as vocalist. He died in 1995 after the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
It’s unclear what part of the band’s history will be covered in the film, but Scorsese has already been a part of bringing the band’s story to the screen, executive producing the 2017 rock doc about the group, Long Strange Trip.
Scorsese will produce via his Sikelia Productions under a first-look deal with the tech giant. Hill will produce via his Strong Baby banner with Matt Dines.
Rick Yorn will also produce, with Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Trixie Garcia, Eric Eisner and Bernie Cahill executive-producing.
Scorsese is currently working on his next feature, The Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It will also be a reteaming for the director and actor, who previously worked together on The Wolf of Wall Street.