U2 is set to be the next music icon to get the biopic treatment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, director J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) will be developing a series centered on the popular rock band for Netflix.
The series, currently untitled, is in the development stage with Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody, The Two Peoples) penning the series. McCarten is best known for his Oscar-nominated work on 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody, which chronicled the life of Queen headman Freddie Mercury.
Details of U2’s involvement with the series are being kept under wraps, according to The Hollywood Reporter, but sources say that they are expected to be involved with the new show. Warner Bros. Television will develop the series under an overall deal with Abram’s Bad Robot. Plot details are also being kept under wraps.
U2 is a Dublin-based band who are regarded as one of the best-selling music artists of all time. They are best known for hits such as “With or Without You” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)”. The band has recorded 14 studio albums, is estimated to have sold over 150 million records worldwide, and holds a record 22 Grammy awards. In 2015, U2 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is ranked 22nd on Rolling Stone‘s 2010 list of greatest artists of all time.
News of a U2 biopic comes in a resurgence of biographical films and television series based on iconic artists in the music industry, which was started by Bohemian Rhapsody. Austin Butler (Zoey 101, Once Upon a Time) will be portraying Elvis Pressley in an upcoming biopic, Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami) will star in a Bob Marley biopic currently in development, and a search for lead to play Madonna in her own biopic is currently happening.
Abrams has other work in the making as well. Under the Warner Bros. deal, he is developing an adult Batman animated series with The Batman director Matt Reeves. He is also developing two more series with HBO and HBO Max. He and his wife, Kathy McGrath (Merlin, Supergirl), will be developing franchise around Justice League Dark from DC Comics. On the film side, he is developing a new Star Trek film for Paramount.
A release date has not been confirmed for the U2 series.