A Hollywood biopic about Billy Joel just got announced, and the Piano Man is not happy about it. On May 19, 2026, Joel’s team hit back fast after Variety confirmed that a film called “Billy and Me” is in development, with production set to begin this fall.
The message from Joel’s camp was clear: no life rights, no music rights, no chance.
What “Billy and Me” Is Actually About
Director John Ottman and screenwriter Adam Ripp are the creative team behind “Billy and Me.” Ottman won an Oscar for editing “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 2018 and most recently served as lead editor on the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” which pulled in an estimated $700 million at the global box office in 2026. Ripp is producing the project under his ArtPhyl Pictures banner.
The film is set in Joel’s pre-fame years, told entirely from the perspective of Irwin Mazur, his very first manager. Mazur discovered Joel in 1966, officially signed him in 1970, and guided his career all the way through his breakthrough deal with Columbia Records in 1972.
That means everything in the film unfolds before the 1973 “Piano Man” song and album that turned Joel into one of the biggest names in American music history.
Joel’s longtime friend and early bandmate Jon Small is also heavily involved. Small is attached as a consultant, co-executive producer, and second unit director. His personal connection to the story runs deep: Small’s first wife, Elizabeth Weber, left him for Joel, a painful chapter that later shaped some of Joel’s most intimate and celebrated songs.
Here is everything confirmed about the production so far:
- Director: John Ottman (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Michael”)
- Screenwriter/Producer: Adam Ripp, under his ArtPhyl Pictures banner
- Story perspective: Told through the eyes of first manager Irwin Mazur
- Timeline covered: 1966 (Joel discovered) through 1972 (Columbia Records deal)
- Key collaborator: Jon Small, co-executive producer and second unit director
- Music Executive Producer: Mitchell Leib, Grammy-nominated, former President of Music at Walt Disney Studios
- Filming locations: Winnipeg, Canada and New York City
- Production start: Fall 2026, casting currently underway
Joel’s Team Has Been Fighting This Since 2021
“Since 2021, the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project.”
That statement came from Joel’s representative and landed at multiple major outlets simultaneously, including Rolling Stone, People, The Wrap, and The Hollywood Reporter. The rep went even further, stating that Joel “has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity, and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided.”
What makes this noteworthy is the timeline. Joel’s team has been formally putting the filmmakers on notice since at least 2021, which means Ottman and Ripp have known about this opposition for several years before publicly announcing the project this week.
The Filmmakers Are Not Backing Down
Ottman did not go quiet after Joel’s statement went public. He told Rolling Stone that the film “is told from the perspective of Irwin Mazur, and we hold the exclusive life rights to Irwin Mazur.” He pushed back on the music argument too, saying the biopic “neither depicts nor seeks to use any of Billy Joel’s original music because it takes place during his formative years performing cover songs with The Hassles and struggling to find his artistic identity.”
Ripp echoed that defense in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. He wrote that “Billy and Me is specifically not a traditional cradle-to-grave Billy Joel biopic, nor is it dependent on Billy Joel’s original music catalog.” He added that the entire story is set before any of Joel’s classic original songs were ever written.
Under US law, no individual holds a formally recognized right that prevents filmmakers from telling stories about a public figure using information already in the public domain. What filmmakers cannot legally do, however, is use copyrighted music without a license, or portray a living person in a knowingly false or defamatory way.
The decision to set the film before Joel ever wrote “Piano Man,” “New York State of Mind,” or any of his iconic originals looks very much like a deliberate move designed to sidestep that exact legal wall.
A Second Attempt, Years in the Making
This is not the first time the same team has tried to get a Billy Joel biopic off the ground. Back in 2022, Ripp partnered with Michael Jai White’s Jaigantic Studios on a similar project titled “Piano Man,” but that version never made it to production either.
There is also a deeper personal connection here. Adam Ripp’s father, Artie Ripp, was the producer who signed Joel to his very first solo record deal and produced his 1971 debut album “Cold Spring Harbor.” The Ripp family history with Joel goes back decades, though that history has not translated into the artist’s blessing on this new project.
Unauthorized music biopics that lack artist support have a rough track record. The 2014 Aaliyah biopic on Lifetime pressed ahead without her music rights, was forced to record new covers to replace her songs, and received widespread criticism from fans and critics alike. A David Bowie film from 2017 ran into similar trouble after being denied access to his catalog, producing a film that failed both critically and commercially.
“I first met Billy when he was 16 years old, and after reading the script, I felt the filmmakers truly understood who he was before the world knew his name.” — Jon Small, co-executive producer and Joel’s lifelong friend
Joel, for his part, has already told his own story on his own terms. In 2025, he fully participated in a two-part HBO documentary titled “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” which traced his life from childhood to fame with his direct blessing and cooperation. The contrast between that project and a biopic he has actively opposed for years could not be sharper.
Billy Joel is 77 years old and still recovering from Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a rare brain disorder that forced him to cancel all of his 2025 and 2026 concert dates after it caused serious problems with his hearing, vision, and balance. His daughter Alexa Ray Joel confirmed in March 2026 that he is doing physical therapy, staying focused on his health, and doing great. His ex-wife Christie Brinkley said at a New York gala in April 2026 that he is “doing very well.” This is a man who fought for everything he has, wrote his own rules for five decades, and clearly has no intention of letting someone else narrate his earliest chapters without his say. The legal and creative battle over “Billy and Me” is just getting started, and where it lands will matter far beyond one film. What do you think: should filmmakers have the right to tell a living artist’s story without their consent? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
