Music bios are making a big comeback in Hollywood, with movies based on the lives of “Weird Al” Yankovic, Elvis, and even Madonna. Now, it’s U2’s turn. According to The Hollywood Reporter, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions is producing a scripted series about U2 for Netflix.
Details about the show are scarce since the project is still in early development. Anthony McCarten is slated to write the series, and he does have some experience in the area. He was the screenwriter of Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic about Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen. McCarten also received two Oscar nominations for scripting The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes.
THR’s report indicates that “details of U2’s involvement are being kept under wraps, though sources say the band … is expected to be involved and sanction the project.”
If the series explores the formation and history of U2, then there is close to five decades’ worth of material to draw from. Bono (Paul David Hewson), the Edge (David Howell Evans), Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. formed the band in 1976. From humble beginnings in Dublin, the Irish band has become one of the most successful groups of all time. To date, U2 has recorded 14 studio albums, including The Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum, Achtung Baby, Songs of Innocence, and Songs of Experience.
U2’s songs have also frequently been used in TV and films. Outside of the group, Bono and the Edge collaborated with Julie Taymor on the infamous Broadway show Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark.
