Mario Van Peebles Set To Direct Buddy Holly Film THAT'LL BE THE DAY About The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll
Mario Van Peebles is set to direct a film titled That’ll Be the Day, which will tell the story of Buddy Holly and other musicians of the late 1950s, who “helped give birth to rock ‘n’ roll and influence the wider societal and cultural landscape, including the civil rights movement.”
This is actually a story that I’ve wanted to see told on the big screen, and it’s pretty cool that Van Peebles will bring that story to life. He previously directed films such as New Jack City and Posse, as well as TV shows like Sons of Anarchy and Lost.
Van Peebles said in a statement: “America’s tumultuous cultural melting pot has produced transcendent musical talent, including Buddy Holly, who was our first bad ass rock ’n’ roll nerd.”
It was also reported that “BMG – which manages the Buddy Holly estate and controls the rights to the Holly music publishing catalog in the U.S. – provided development funding for the project.”
The screenplay for the movie was written by Patrick Shanahan and Matthew Benjamin, with additional material written by Van Peebles. The script is based on a story by French and Stephen Easley, general counsel to the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation.
Easley, David Hirshland and Peter Bradley Jr. of the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation are executive producers. Maria Elena Holly, widow of Buddy Holly, is an associate producer. Shanahan and Matthew Benjamin are co-producers.
Source: Variety