Billy Joel condemns unauthorised biopic Billy & Me as legally and professionally misguided

Billy Joel draws a clear line

Billy Joel has come out firmly against an unauthorised biopic called Billy & Me, making clear that the film does not have his approval, his life rights, or the rights to use his music. The statement puts the project in difficult legal territory before a single frame has been publicly screened. According to NME, a spokesperson for Billy Joel confirmed that the parties involved have been on notice since 2021: they do not hold his life rights and will not be able to secure his music rights either.

"Billy Joel has not authorised or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided," the spokesperson said.

What the film actually is

Billy & Me is directed and edited by John Ottman, who also worked as lead editor on the recent Michael Jackson biopic. The film focuses on Joel's early years, told from the perspective of his first manager Irwin Mazur, who discovered Joel in 1966, signed him in 1970, and worked with him until Joel signed with Columbia Records. Drummer Jon Small, a longtime friend who played with Joel in the early band The Hassles and in the acid-rock duo Attila, is also involved as co-executive producer, consultant and second unit director.

Because Joel has withheld his own life rights, the filmmakers have structured the story around Mazur and Small, whose rights they have secured. Whether that workaround is enough to satisfy a legal challenge remains to be seen.

Ottman described the project as "a deeply emotional and fun story" centred on "the formative years of Billy and his relationship with Irwin Mazur." Small, for his part, called it "the most honest, heartfelt, and authentic portrayal of Billy's early life."

Health update and broader context

The biopic dispute lands at a complicated moment for Joel. Last May he cancelled all scheduled concert dates after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), a brain disorder affecting balance. His daughter told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year that he is handling the diagnosis well, doing regular physical therapy and staying proactive about his health.

No release date or cast details for Billy & Me have been announced yet.