Billy Joel slams unauthorized ‘Billy & Me’ biopic push

Billy Joel canceled plans to attend the premiere of his documentary at Tribeca while criticizing an upcoming unauthorized biopic, ‘Billy & Me.’ In a statement dated May 20, his team says producers have known since 2021 that they lack access to his life and mus

Billy Joel’s documentary was set for its Tribeca Festival premiere. The day before, the singer canceled—citing medical concerns—and signaled his focus isn’t just on his public story, but on who gets to tell it.

In a separate fight over authorship, Joel is also taking aim at an upcoming film, “Billy & Me,” in development with John Ottman, the editor behind “Michael” and an executive with a long career shaping major music-driven movies.

Joel’s spokesperson, Claire Mercuri, issued a statement dated May 20 that directly challenges the project’s legal footing. It says the producers have long known they do not have access to either Billy Joel’s life rights or his music rights.

“Since 2021. the parties involved have been officially notified that they do not possess Billy Joel’s life rights and will not be able to secure the music rights required for this project. ” the statement says. “Billy Joel has not authorized or supported this project in any capacity. and any attempt to move forward without it would be both legally and professionally misguided.”.

The dispute is tied to what “Billy & Me” intends to do: tell an origin story of Joel before fame. and notably before the release of his 1973 breakthrough album and single “Piano Man.” The film is described as moving through the eyes of Irwin Mazur—Joel’s manager who discovered. signed. and worked with him through his first major label deal.

The project’s creative pieces are already in motion. Adam Kipp is set to write, casting is underway, and filming is scheduled for this fall.

Ottman’s involvement places the film in the orbit of major biographical productions. which adds pressure to get the basics right. Ottman served as lead editor and oversaw post-production on the recent “Michael” biopic. He won an Oscar for best film editing for his work editing “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He also worked with “Rhapsody” director Bryan Singer on films including “The Usual Suspects. ” “Valkyrie. ” and the X-Men film series.

Ottman’s resume extends beyond editing into directing and production as well. He previously directed the 2000 dark comedy “Urban Legends,” and he directed an episode of “Star Trek: Discovery,” where he also served as a producer.

That professional record is now colliding with Joel’s team’s insistence that the project lacks the permissions necessary to proceed. The most specific line is the timeline embedded in Mercuri’s statement: official notification dating back to 2021. followed by a claim that the rights required for the film have not been secured. If that’s accurate. the conflict stops being about creative disagreement and becomes about whether the project is legally allowed to move forward as planned.

While “Billy & Me” advances toward filming, Joel’s own documentary path is taking a different shape in public. He had planned to attend the premiere of “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” at the Tribeca Festival, but canceled due to medical concerns, according to the report.

The message coming from his camp is unmistakable: this is not just a matter of taste about who should be depicted and how. It’s about control—over life stories and over the music that helped build them—and the assertion that the movie’s producers have known the permissions problem for years.

Billy Joel Billy & Me John Ottman biopic Tribeca Festival documentary Irwin Mazur Adam Kipp Bohemian Rhapsody Michael biopic Oscar music rights