There’s never been a Janis Joplin biopic. There have been movies — like the 1979 Bette Midler vehicle The Rose, originally conceived as a Joplin movie before Joplin’s estate withheld rights to her music — that are inspired by Joplin’s life. Beyond The Rose, there have been plenty of attempts at a full-on Joplin biopic over the years. Earlier this year, The Hollywood Reporter ran a story about the many failed attempts. At various points, Melissa Etheridge, Brittany Murphy, Renée Zellweger, Zooey Deschanel, Pink, and most recently Amy Adams have all been attached to play Joplin — not to mention the 30 Rock plotline about Jenna Maroney playing an unlicensed Joplin clone named Jackie Jormp-Jomp. Now we’ve got a new cinematic Janis Joplin, and it’s Shailene Woodley.
Variety reports that Shailene Woodley, of The Fault In Our Stars and the Divergent series, will produce and star in a new Janis Joplin biopic, which is receiving $2.5 million from the tax-funded California Film Commission. We know that the film plans to shoot for 30 days and that it’s got a $10 million budget for “qualified expenditures,” but that’s pretty much all we’ve got. In a press release, Woodley says, “California meant so much to Janis Joplin — from the stoops of San Francisco to the wooden walls of Sunset Sound, the state became the stage upon which she explored not just the world of music, but the world of her vibrant humanity.”
Why So Many Joplin Biopics Have Failed
The most common hurdle seems to be the involvement of Joplin’s estate, which has so far been unwilling to grant the rights to her music or her life story to any film project. It’s possible that Woodley’s biopic will be the first to secure those rights. While Woodley’s statement about the project doesn’t mention any involvement from the Joplin estate, it does suggest that she and the producers believe that the film is “bringing opportunities and funding to the city and people that held so much significance to her.” It is possible that the Joplin estate may be more willing to work with a project that benefits the city of San Francisco and its people.
The Importance of California in the Narrative
Woodley’s statement about the film’s focus on California could be a way to entice the Joplin estate into cooperation. California was a pivotal location for Joplin’s career and life. Her success began with the Monterey Pop Festival, which was held in Monterey, California. She moved to San Francisco shortly after the festival, and it was there that she found fame as a performer and songwriter. San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district was at the center of the psychedelic counterculture movement of the 1960s, and it is where Joplin’s music resonated with a generation of young people.
The California Film Commission’s decision to grant Woodley’s project a $2.5 million tax credit, as well as the fact that the project is slated to shoot in California for 30 days and will employ 150 cast and crew members, suggests that the state is committed to supporting the film and its creators. It is possible that the state’s investment in the project could make it more appealing to the Joplin estate.
What We Know About the Project So Far
Shailene Woodley is 32 years old — five years older than Joplin at the time of her death. I have no idea whether she can sing, and we don’t yet know anything about the new movie’s director, screenwriter, title, or the rest of its cast. Fingers crossed that Kris Kristofferson gets to play himself.
The lack of information about the project is a bit concerning. With so many past projects falling through, there’s reason to be skeptical that this one will be any different. It is possible that the lack of details is simply a reflection of the early stage of the project’s development. However, it is also possible that there are behind-the-scenes issues that are preventing the project from moving forward more quickly. Only time will tell if this will be the biopic that finally gets made.
What’s Next for the Biopic?
The next step for the project will be to secure the rights to Joplin’s music and her life story. The film also needs to find a director, a screenwriter, and the rest of its cast. Assuming all goes well, the film could start production sometime in the next year. However, given the history of failed Joplin biopics, it’s impossible to say for sure. Only time will tell whether this project will be the one to finally bring Janis Joplin’s story to the big screen.
The Future of the Joplin Biopic
The success of other recent music biopics, like Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, could provide inspiration and incentive for a successful Janis Joplin biopic. The popularity of those films suggests that there is a strong market for music biopics, and that a Joplin biopic could be a commercial success.
However, the challenge of securing the rights to Joplin’s music and her life story will be a major hurdle. If the project is able to overcome these hurdles, it could be a major success. But if the project falls through, it will add to the long list of failed Joplin biopics.
