Billy Joel's legal team has publicly condemned an unauthorized biographical film about the singer's early career, calling any attempt to proceed with production both legally and professionally misguided. The film, titled Billy & Me, is being developed with editor and director John Ottman attached to direct, according to a report by Variety.
The project focuses on Joel's life before his breakthrough 1973 album Piano Man, told through the perspective of Irwin Mazur, a manager who discovered Joel in 1966, signed him in 1970, and guided his career until Joel signed with Columbia Records in 1972. Despite Joel's opposition, casting is reportedly underway, and production is slated to begin this fall in New York and Winnipeg.
Joel's representatives have not stayed quiet. "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," read a statement from Joel's rep to Variety. "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."
The filmmakers appear to be navigating around Joel's opposition by securing rights to the stories of the people around him rather than Joel himself. In addition to Mazur's exclusive life rights, the project also holds the rights to Joel's longtime friend, drummer and video director Jon Small, who serves as a consultant, co-executive producer, and second unit director on the film. Small played in two of Joel's early bands, the Hassles and the short-lived acid-rock duo Attila, which released one little-noticed album in 1970.
The script is being written by Adam Ripp, who wrote Devil's Whisper. Small has spoken publicly in support of the film, pushing back against the characterization that it lacks authenticity. "Billy & Me is grounded in truth, shaped with care, and built with the insight of people who genuinely know and love Billy," Small said. "As someone who was there from the very beginning, I can say this script captures not just the music, but the friendships, struggles, humor, and creative spark that defined those years."
Small also addressed what he sees as a broader problem with music biopics. "Too often, stories about artists get lost in exaggeration or mythmaking," he said. "Billy & Me reflects the real history with integrity and respect. I first met Billy when he was 16-years-old, and after reading the script, I felt the filmmakers truly understood who he was before the world knew his name."
The question of how the film will tell Joel's story without access to his music or life rights remains unresolved. The script's apparent focus on Mazur and Small as protagonists may be the filmmakers' answer to that problem, though Joel's camp has made clear it considers the entire effort legally vulnerable.
Last year, HBO aired a two-part career retrospective documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which covered his life and music with his cooperation. That production stands in contrast to Billy & Me, which Joel has reportedly been working to block for five years.
No release date for Billy & Me has been announced.
