While the Billy and Me film from director John Ottman and screenwriter Adam Ripp will begin filming this autumn, Billy Joel has made it abundantly clear that the biopic is unauthorized and that will not include any of his music.
In 2022, a previous proposed biopic about Joel by Ripp was titled Piano Man, and a representative for the superstar singer/songwriter spoke out against the project in a statement shared with multiple media outlets:
“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,” and that the musician “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”.
The Oscar-winning editor behind the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Ottman recently oversaw the underscore of Michael, the massively successful Michael Jackson biopic.
According to Variety, Billy and Me will be told from the perspective of Irwin Mazur, the musician’s manager who oversaw Joel’s career in the time leading up to his 1973 breakout hit ‘Piano Man.’
Ottman and Ripp have the exclusive life rights to Mazur and drummer Jon Small, who is also involved in the production. Joel’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, was previously married to Small.
Not the first time the iconic artist’s life has been visually chronicled, the two-part documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, aired in July of 2025 with the musician’s blessing.
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Author: Saul Goode