Even though initially David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones expressed opposition to the project, the production of the biopic dealing with a slice of life of one of rock’s key artists marches on.
Directed by Gabriel Range (Death of a President), it will focus on the tour of the US Bowie took in 1971 and how it influenced his career from thereon. Movie magazine Empire was first to publish photos of Johnny Flynn as Bowie. The film will also feature Jena Malone as Angie Bowie. As MovieWeb notes, this was “around the time he was developing the album Hunky Dory, with the trip inspiring his invention of one of his most famous creations – his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.”
Back in February 2019, Duncan Jones stated that the “producers of a proposed biopic about the musician have not secured the rights to use his father’s music or the approval of his family.” For their part, UK producers Salon Pictures said that “we would like to clarify that this film … is a moment in time film at a turning point in David’s life, and is not reliant on Bowie’s music.”
The official synopsis of Stardust says: “Meet David before Bowie. One of the greatest icons in music history; But who was the young man behind the many faces? In 1971, a 24-year-old David Bowie (Johnny Flynn) embarks on his first road trip to America with struggling publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), only to be met with a world not yet ready for him. Stardust offers a glimpse behind the curtain of the moments that inspired the creation of Bowie’s first and most memorable alter egos Ziggy Stardust, capturing the turning point that cemented his career as one of the world’s greatest cultural icons.”
