It's a surprise that a music legend as impactful as Elvis Presley has only just got his own biopic movie, directed by Baz Luhrmann. Elvis, starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, has just been released into theaters, and with already being well received by critics and audiences alike.
What's more, with the successes of Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, and the recent release of Pistols, the rise in music act biopics movies is possible. Musicians such as Stevie Wonder and Britney Spears would be interesting to see on the big screen in a biopic not just down to a turbulent rise to fame but significant points in their own lives that would make great acting and storytelling.
Stevie Wonder
It's hard to believe someone as influential as Stevie Wonder doesn't have a biopic yet. His career started when he was just 11 years old when he signed a record deal, which is where he was given the professional name "Little Stevie Wonder". He was the youngest artist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 with his single "Fingertips".
Wonder has had numerous hit singles, toured with Rolling Stones, won 19 Grammys, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, won an Oscar, and is recognized as pioneering and influencing multiple genres of music over the generations. Take any time in Stevie Wonder's life and it would make for a great and interesting movie. His rise as a young artist, the dip in his career as a young man, and then finally seeing consistent success as an adult, any of these moments alone would make for a fascinating film.
Kesha
Kesha started out in 2005 at 18 years of age, but didn't see a major step forward in her career until 2009 when she was featured on Flo Rida's single "Right Round". From there, she has propelled into stardom thanks to her image and music style.
Kesha's career was halted due to lawsuits known as Kesha v Dr. Luke, in which Kesha alleged he abused her physically, sexually, and emotionally. Despite this horrible moment in her life, she remained resilient and released the hit album "Rainbow", and is a role model and influential leader in music. Her rise to stardom and what it took would make for a gripping film, though fans may find her lawsuit and subsequent album release a bit more tantalizing, provided Kesha is interested in telling that part of her life.
Bruce Springsteen
Music legend Bruce Springsteen's career spans 5 decades and made the "heartland rock" genre of music mainstream. What's more, Springsteen's music has been used in numerous movie soundtracks over the years.
Springsteen is one of the world's best-selling artists and one of the most documented musicians, who has had many ups and downs throughout his life. As such a celebrated and talented artist, any moment throughout his life, be it his musical career or personal life, would make for a captivating and enthralling film.
Stevie Nicks
When Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1975, she helped propel the band into one of the best-selling musical groups of all time. She is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame twice and has had multiple songs included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Fleetwood Mac's music has also been used in movies and many other types of media through the years.
When Nicks released her first solo album, Rolling Stone also named her the "Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll". Stevie Nicks has had a prolific career and is a household name that would make a biopic all the more fascinating, which could even be given a fantasy, ethereal twist to suit her persona.
Macklemore
As a relatively new artist, Macklemore's life and career could make a very interesting subject for a biopic. Hailing from the PNW, Macklemore was born Ben Haggerty. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's first album "The Heist" debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number two in October 2012 to rave reviews, earning seven Grammy nominations.
Macklemore had unlikely success due to the subject matter of his music. At the beginning of his budding career, he sang about thrifting clothes (insulting Nike in the process), gay rights, and his dislike for the head of Interscope Records. To take on such powerfully big topics paid off for Macklemore though and with his humble upbringing, drug use, and recovery, could make a very interesting biopic indeed.
Chuck D
Chuck D (born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour) is the leader and founder of the band Public Enemy. He and the band are known for singing about political and socially conscious hip hop music during the 80s.
What makes Chuck so interesting is not only his music but his affinity for tech and helping to pioneer the file-sharing movement. He had only the second album ever to release in the MP3 format. As such an innovative and creative artist in his field, his past would make a compelling biopic. As nostalgic times are ever-more present in media today, going back to the '90s and early '00s to look at Chuck D's involvement in the change from CDs to MP3s and the innovation it took to do this would be great moments to turn into a film.
BTS
Though BTS has a documentary film, creating a dramatized version of their lives would be exceptionally interesting, especially for those not fully aware of their rise to fame and the Korean music industry. BTS has had numerous milestones, such as becoming the first Asian and non-English speaking band to enter Billboard's Top Touring Artists of the 2010s, according to NME.
With their incredible success comes a fascinating background from the band members. They lived together and practiced up to 15 hours a day together before their debut in 2013. They were also allowed to express their individuality within their music, something that wasn't common with K-pop music groups previously. With these ups and downs they've endured throughout their careers, and their personal lives and unique personalities that can be expressed, BTS has no small amount of content with which to make a film.
Destiny's Child
Beyonce's father is interested in producing a film similar to King Richard in which he recounts how he helped propel his daughters to fame. However, a movie about the rise of Destiny's Child would be considerably more interesting.
Destiny's Child was one of the most popular female musical groups of the late '90s. Despite their fame, the start of their careers was tumultuous and filled with animosity and feuds, these feuds being perhaps as famous as their music. As Beyoncé is such an influential superstar today, seeing just how she rose to fame, the hardships the group faced, and reunions after their disbandment would give an inside look at the star's history and how she's earned her fame.
Britney Spears
The film Britney Ever After is an unofficial biopic that aired on Lifetime, and as neither Britney nor her team had any involvement in the film, she still qualifies as needing her own biopic. There are many moments in Britney Spears' life and career that could be the focus of a dramatized version of her life.
Her rise to fame, her tumultuous relationships, her mental decline, and obviously, the recent end to Britney's conservatorship and ties to her family, which are some of the things learned from Netflix's Britney vs Spears, she's been much more vocal about what her family put her through the past decade, but to see it laid out on a linear timeline could make for a great drama and fans could finally get her version of events.
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses' first album reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1987 just a year after its release and skyrocketed the rock band to fame. By 1993 the band had split and tensions between the members were high. However, despite their differences, in 2016 many of the original band members got back together for a reunion tour. After so many years, their initial issues had been forgotten.
Rock bands are notorious for the party lifestyle (sex, drugs, and alcohol use), and Guns N' Roses was no different. With so much chaos in their early years and the discord that was sewn throughout the group ultimately causing their disbandment, (not to mention portrayals of legendary guitarist Slash and infamous lead singer Axl Rose) a biopic on their fame and destruction would be enjoyed by many.