Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA forthcoming biopic, Billy & Me, is set to chronicle Billy Joel's early career through the perspective of his former manager, Irwin Mazur. Billy Joel's representatives have stated that he has not authorised or supported the project and that the filmmakers do not possess his life or music rights. Filmmakers, including director John Ottman and screenwriter Adam Ripp, contend the film is an "intimate origin story" focusing on Joel's formative years and does not rely on his hit music catalogue. Ripp clarified that the film is not a traditional cradle-to-grave biopic, instead centring on Joel's struggles before fame and his time in cover bands. The production has secured life rights from Mazur and Joel's lifelong friend and original drummer, Jon Small, who is actively involved as a consultant. In fullBilly Joel slams unauthorized biopic as ‘legally and professionally misguided’Thank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in