6 Iconic Albums I’d Love To See Get The Biopic Treatment Next

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Music biopics are a familiar sight, but Scott Cooper’s Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere offered a new take when it was announced for 2025. With Jeremy Allen White playing Bruce Springsteen, the film doesn’t cover the singer’s entire life and career. Instead, it centers on a specific and pivotal time: the making of his critically acclaimed 1982 album, Nebraska.

The new music biopic got me wondering what other legendary albums deserve their own movie. So many classic records have incredible stories behind them, and with the success of Deliver Me From Nowhere, I think it’s a great time to tell those stories. Here are six albums I’d love to see adapted for the big screen…

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is one of the most iconic breakup albums ever made. Released in February 1977, the album reflects the intense personal struggles the band members were facing at the time – including divorces, relationship issues, drug use, and the strain of constant touring. The divorce of Christine and John McVie, combined with the turbulent relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, created a lot of tension and fueled the album’s emotional depth.

Songs like “Go Your Own Way” and “Dreams” really capture the heartache and difficulties of the band’s life, and I think a movie telling the stories behind those songs would be amazing. We recently saw a similar approach with Daisy Jones and the Six, but seeing the actual story of this band would be something special.

Sam Cooke’s Ain’t That Good News

I’ve always been deeply moved by Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” It really became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement, and even now, over 60 years after its 1964 release, it’s still considered one of the greatest soul and R&B songs ever made. It’s incredible to me that he wrote it after being arrested right here in my hometown – I learned that from Explore Louisiana! It ended up being a standout track from what would sadly be his last studio album, Ain’t That Good News.

I really loved seeing a glimpse of Sam Cooke’s life in One Night in Miami, but I’d be thrilled to see a whole movie dedicated to the making of his final album. Knowing that masterpiece came out just ten minutes before his tragic death… that’s a story begging to be told. Imagine exploring his creative process while he was navigating all the upheaval of the time, and dealing with the heartbreaking loss of his young son. It would be incredibly moving, I just know it.

Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here

While a full Pink Floyd biography or films about albums like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall could be interesting, I believe a more compelling approach would be to focus on the creation of Wish You Were Here. Similar to the documentary Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, which explored Bruce Springsteen’s process of making Nebraska while also looking back at his life, a film about Wish You Were Here could also tell the story of Syd Barrett, one of the band’s original members.

This landmark album, recently celebrating its 50th anniversary, explores themes of disconnection and disillusionment within the music world, while also honoring Syd Barrett, who had left Pink Floyd almost ten years prior. The epic song “Shine on You Crazy Diamond,” considered one of the band’s finest both musically and lyrically, could easily be a recurring motif in a film about the album and the complicated dynamic between the four band members who created it.

Nirvana’s In Utero

The excellent documentary Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck already explored the life and work of Nirvana’s singer, Kurt Cobain, but that doesn’t mean a full biopic about the band isn’t still a good idea. While I’d personally enjoy a film about Nirvana’s early touring days with The Melvins, before their album Nevermind made them famous, I think a different approach would be even more effective.

A film focusing on the making of Nirvana’s last album, In Utero, could be a deeply moving and revealing biopic. It would be fascinating to see how Kurt Cobain coped with the overwhelming fame brought on by “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and his decision to push the band’s music into a more intense and raw sound.

Metallica’s …And Justice For All

We’ve seen documentaries like Behind the Music and Some Kind of Monster. Now, fans want a full biographical movie about Metallica. While a film about their beginnings, the making of the Black Album, or the events leading to St. Anger would be interesting, I’d prefer a movie focused on the period surrounding their fourth album, …And Justice for All.

This album, released in September 1988, was the band’s first full-length recording after the tragic loss of their original bassist, Cliff Burton, and their first featuring Jason Newsted. The story behind the album is compelling – it captures the band’s grief, their shift away from their earlier, faster sound, and a period of change for the group. The film Johnny Got His Gun also served as a significant inspiration, particularly for the song “One.”

The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street

Often hailed as one of the best albums ever made by Rolling Stone magazine, Exile on Main St. is many fans’ pick as the Rolling Stones’ masterpiece. Released in 1972 after a string of successful albums, public scandals, and personal hardships, this groundbreaking rock album saw the band experiment with new sounds and explore daring lyrical themes.

It would be amazing to film the album’s creation, but even more compelling would be a movie about what happened right after it came out. The film could explore everything from the initially negative reviews and the huge tour that followed, to how opinions of the album eventually changed and its artistic goals were recognized – there’s a rich story there.

This list could be much longer, but I need to wrap it up somewhere. I don’t know if any of these projects will actually get made, but I’ll definitely be first in line to see them if they do!

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2025-11-02 21:13