Hollywood’s music-biopic obsession isn’t just alive — it’s in full-blown overdrive.
Variety reports that a Sinéad O’Connor biopic is officially in development. The film will be helmed by Josephine Decker, the American filmmaker whose work on “Shirley” earned strong notices. The script comes from Irish playwright and screenwriter Stacey Gregg (”Here Before”).
O’Connor, who died in 2023 at the age of 56, was one of the more fascinating figures in ‘90s popular music. At 23, she topped charts worldwide with “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
However, it was her shaved head, brooding stare, and gung-ho activism that truly made a mark. She openly challenged the Catholic Church long before it was fashionable — most notoriously by tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II on SNL in 1992, detonating one of the most infamous moments in live TV history.
According to Variety, the film will focus on O’Connor’s early life and rise, charting her transformation from a troubled youth in Dublin to one of the most recognizable and polarizing artists in the world. No casting announcements yet.
Decker turned heads over five years ago at Sundance with her acclaimed experimental theater drama, “Madeline’s Madeline.” Although that film ultimately felt too overcooked, for my tastes, watching it you felt like you were witnessing the coming of a strong new directorial voice. Decker’s next film, “Shirley,” also premiered at Sundance in 2020. Then, in 2022, she decided to helm Apple’s YA weepie “The Sky is Everywhere,” which earned negative reviews.
The Sinead project is just one of dozens of music biopics in the works, with already greenlit projects on Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, KISS, Joni Mitchell, Lionel Richie, The Bee Gees, Carole King, Dionne Warwick, and Linda Ronstadt. We’re officially entering the onslaught phase.