Experience Hendrix LLC, the company that represents the estate of Jimi Hendrix, has put up a major roadblock for the planned biopic staring Andre 3000. The company has stated that they do not approve of the film which means none of Jimi’s original music will be allowed to be used in the film and you can’t have a movie about Jimi Henrdrix without his music. The good news is that Jimi’s sister and the company have stated that they aren’t ruling out a biopic in the future. Read more below.
Plans to make a Jimi Hendrix biopic starring Outkast’s Andre 3000 may have hit a snag: The family of the late rock legend is against it, saying that they won’t allow rights to the music.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Experience Hendrix LLC, the family-owned company that manages Hendrix’s music and publishing, released a statement saying that it does not support the film.
“[The Estate] has made it known many times in the past that no such film, were it to include original music or copyrights created by Jimi Hendrix, can be undertaken without its full participation.â€
That said, Experience Hendrix doesn’t necessarily oppose all projects, it just won’t sanction any films without the group’s approval. “CEO Janie Hendrix, sister of Jimi Hendrix, and the EH board, have not ruled out a ‘biopic’ in the future, though producing partners would, out of necessity, have to involve the company from the inception of any such film project if it is to include original Jimi Hendrix music or compositions.â€
Author Charles R. Cross, who wrote the 2005 hendrix biography, “Room Full of Mirrors,” tells Moviefone, “Since the day Jimi died his estate has been complicated, with three or four different owners over the years, multiple lawsuits, and millions spent fighting for his legacy. It is one of the messiest stories in music industry history. But one day there will be a great movie of his life because it truly was legendary and oversized.”
A Showtime TV movie titled “Hendrix,†was released in 2000 starring “The Wire’s” Wood Harris faced the same problem: Their workaround was to use covers of Hendrix’s songs instead of the originals.
