Legendary musician Buddy Holly is getting a new movie, asDriving Miss Daisydirector Bruce Beresford has signed on to helm the upcoming biopicClear Lake. Known for his many classic rock ‘n’ roll hits like “Rave On,” “Peggy Sue,” and “Oh Boy,” Holly quickly became one of the world’s most famous musicians of the 1950’s, establishing a powerful legacy that endures to this day. Sadly, Holly perished at the age of 22 along with pilot Roger Peterson and fellow singers Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper when their plane crashed into a remote field near Clear Lake, Iowa, and the date has since been dubbed as the “Day the Music Died.”
Clear Lakeis based on a screenplay by Patrick Shanahan with the complete blessing of Holly’s family. The movie will “open with Holly’s teen years, then portray his 1958 Biggest Show of Stars tour with Clarence Collins, founder of Little Anthony & the Imperials, as they broke racial barriers by performing together across the U.S. in 1958.” We can also presume the tragic way Holly’s life and career came to a sudden end will also be touched on in the story.RayandLa Bambaproducer Stuart Benjamin will also be developingClear Lakealongside theBuddy Hollyestate, with the late singer’s widow Maria Elena Holly serving as an associate producer.
“I found myself attracted toClear Lakebecause the script tells the tragic story of Buddy Holly and his era in fascinating detail and with vivid characterizations. Needless to say, the added plus of all the wonderful music was also a major lure,“Bruce Beresfordsays of his role in directing the upcoming biopic. Clearly, the filmmaker is stepping in as a big fan of Holly, and he’s far from the only one to continue to celebrate the late musician’s legacy over six decades past his untimely death. Holly was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake continues to host tribute shows for Holly and the other victims of his fatal plane crash every year on the anniversary of their final show.
The casting process forClear Lakehas begun by way of virtual auditions, but as of now, there’s no word on who may potentiallyplay the famous rockerthis time around. He was perhaps most famously portrayed by Gary Busey in the 1978 biopicThe Buddy Holly Story, and although Busey’s performance was praised, the movie drew criticism from fans and the Holly estate for its many inaccuracies. Marshall Crenshaw would later play Buddy in the Ritchie Bamba biopicLa Bambaand Frankie Muniz would again portray the “That’ll Be the Day” singer in the John C. Reilly comedy movieWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
This news of Holly getting a new biopic also follows reports of manyother famous musiciansfrom years past getting new movies about their lives. The trend seems to be increasing based upon the success of recent musician biopics likeBohemian RhapsodyandRocketman, as multiple new projects based on other legendary singers are also in the works. This includes planned movies based on artists like Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Whitney Houston, and Bob Dylan, and a Janet Jackson biopic is also rumored to be happening. Let’s just hopeClear Lakeserves as a better representation of the real Buddy Holly story thanThe Buddy Holly Story.
