Oscar-nominated actor, writer, and director Kenneth Branagh (Artemis Fowl, Henry V) is slated to direct a Bee Gees biopic for Paramount Pictures. Amblin Entertainment, Steven Spielberg’s company, is named as producer on the film along with Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) for GK Films and Sister production company. The Bee Gees’ only living member Barry Gibb will executive produce. The British pop-turned-disco group has also been the subject of a 2020 HBO documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, named after their first No. 1 hit, directed by Frank Marshall. 

The yet-to-be-titled biopic is currently being written by Ben Elton and will focus on the early lives of Brothers Gibb (Barry, Maurice and Robin) and their rise to superstardom with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that epitomized the age of disco. The film’s album, primarily made up of Bee Gees composed and/or performed songs, topped the U.S. charts for 24 consecutive weeks, won every Grammy it received a nomination for, including Album of the Year, and was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry for its cultural significance. The biopic will likely address the tragic deaths of twins Maurice and Robin, and possibly their solo-artist, younger brother Andy Gibb.

The Bee Gees biopic tops off director Kenneth Branagh’s list of current projects. He has a sequel to his 2017 Murder on the Orient Express, entitled Death on the Nile coming out this year. Also in the works is Belfast, a film he wrote and directed about a young boy from a working-class family set in the late 1960s. The film is scheduled for a 2021 premiere and features Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds and Judi Dench. 

Branagh has previously been recognized with Oscar-noms for his supporting role in My Week with Marilyn (2011), Best Adapted Screenplay for Hamlet (1996), Best Short Film for Swan Song (1992), and Best Director and Actor in a Leading Role for his 1990 Henry V. His latest acting role is as Sator in Tenet (2020).