Billy Joel Biopic ‘Billy & Me’ in the Works, Shooting in Winnipeg This Fall

The film focuses on Joel's pre-fame years through the eyes of his first manager, Irwin Mazur, with casting currently underway.

A feature film chronicling Billy Joel's formative years is in development, with editor-director John Ottman set to helm the project. Titled ‘Billy & Me,' the biopic covers Joel's story before his breakthrough, told through the perspective of his first manager, Irwin Mazur. Production is slated for this fall in Winnipeg, Canada and New York, with casting currently underway. Whether Joel himself has authorized the project remains unconfirmed.

What ‘Billy & Me' Will Cover

The film is structured as an origin story, picking up Joel's life before the hits and before ‘Piano Man,' the 1973 song and album that launched him to mainstream stardom. The narrative is anchored in the perspective of Irwin Mazur, who first discovered Joel in 1966, signed him in 1970, and guided his career through his breakthrough deal with Columbia Records in 1972.

Filmmaker Adam Ripp is set to write the script and will produce under his ArtPhyl Pictures banner. The production has secured Mazur's exclusive life rights, as well as those of Jon Small, Joel's longtime friend, drummer and video director, who is also serving as a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director on the film.

Small was Joel's drummer in their early band the Hassles and later in Attila, a little-known acid-rock duo the two formed together that released an album in 1970. Joel has described that record in blunt terms as ‘psychedelic bullshit.' The film's timeline also touches on deeply personal territory: Elizabeth Weber, Joel's first wife, was previously married to Small and left him for Joel, a rupture that contributed to the breakup of Attila. Joel's subsequent depression and suicide attempts, which he discussed in the 2025 HBO documentary ‘And So It Goes,' are part of the story those years encompass. Small found Joel after the second attempt and rushed him to the hospital.

Joel's Authorization Remains an Open Question

A representative for Joel did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it has not been confirmed whether Joel has authorized the biopic. The situation echoes a 2022 project titled ‘Piano Man' that was reported to be in development about Joel's career. At that time, a spokesperson for the singer told Variety that Joel ‘is not involved with this film project, and that no rights in music, name/likeness or life story will be granted.'

Joel himself addressed the idea of a biopic in a 2019 Rolling Stone interview, expressing skepticism about his own story's cinematic appeal. He said, ‘I don't have enough objectivity to do that. I was gonna write an autobiography at one time, and I did. There wasn't enough sex, drugs and rock & roll in it for the publisher, so I gave the advance money back. I said, “Fuck it, that's me.” I don't know if I'm interesting enough to make a movie out of. I lived my life. I don't want to be redundant.'

The Director and the HBO Documentary Context

Ottman is best known as an editor and has worked extensively with director Bryan Singer over the years. Most recently, he served as lead editor on the ‘Michael' biopic, overseeing all creative aspects of post production, including shaping performances, directing ADR, and supervising the final mix. ‘Billy & Me' would mark a significant directorial undertaking for him.

‘Billy & Me' follows the two-part 2025 HBO documentary on Joel, ‘And So It Goes,' which documented his full career. The documentary provided a detailed account of the same early-years material the biopic intends to dramatize, giving the film a well-documented factual foundation to draw from, even as the question of Joel's participation in the new project remains open.

Jon Small on the Project

Small, whose firsthand involvement in Joel's early career gives him a unique vantage point, offered a strong endorsement of the film's approach. He said the script ‘captures not just the music, but the friendships, struggles, humor, and creative spark that defined those years,' and added that the production is ‘grounded in truth, shaped with care, and built with the insight of people who genuinely know and love Billy.'

What we know

• John Ottman is set to direct ‘Billy & Me,' a feature biopic on Billy Joel's early years.
• Production is slated for this fall in Winnipeg, Canada and New York.
• Casting is currently underway.
• The film is told through the perspective of Joel's first manager, Irwin Mazur, who discovered Joel in 1966, signed him in 1970, and oversaw his career through his Columbia Records deal in 1972.
• Adam Ripp is set to write the script and will produce under his ArtPhyl Pictures banner.
• Jon Small is on board as a consultant, co-executive producer and second unit director.
• The production has secured Mazur's exclusive life rights and those of Jon Small.
• A representative for Joel did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it is unclear whether Joel has authorized the biopic.

The take

The musical biopic has become one of the most reliable commercial formats in Hollywood over the past decade, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody' through ‘Rocketman,' ‘Elvis,' and now ‘Michael.' Each of those films had varying degrees of subject involvement, and the ones with the most cooperation from estates or living artists generally had smoother paths to release and broader access to the music catalog. That last point is the central practical question hanging over ‘Billy & Me.' Without Joel's authorization, the production faces real obstacles in licensing his songs, and a Billy Joel film without ‘Piano Man,' ‘The Stranger,' or ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant' would be a dramatically limited piece of work. The film's pre-fame focus is a clever structural workaround: by centering on the years before the hits, the filmmakers reduce their dependence on the catalog while still telling a genuinely compelling story. Joel's early years, including the Attila period and the personal turmoil surrounding Elizabeth Weber and Jon Small, are rich dramatic material that the 2025 HBO documentary surfaced for a wide audience. Winnipeg has become a well-established production hub for American-facing film and television projects, offering competitive incentives and experienced crews, so the location choice is straightforward from a production standpoint. Whether the film ultimately secures Joel's blessing, or proceeds without it as a life-rights-based production, will shape everything from its soundtrack to its awards prospects.

Why it matters

For Classic Rock fans, ‘Billy & Me' offers a dramatized look at a chapter of Joel's life that even longtime listeners may know only in outline: the scrappy, pre-fame years that produced the unlikely acid-rock detour of Attila and the personal crises that preceded ‘Piano Man.' The film arrives as the biopic format continues to dominate music storytelling, and Joel's story, particularly the complicated web of friendship, romance and ambition around Small and Weber, is genuinely cinematic material. How the production navigates Joel's apparent non-involvement will be the story to watch.

What's next

Production on ‘Billy & Me' is scheduled to begin this fall in Winnipeg and New York. Casting is currently underway. No release date has been announced. Joel's representative had not responded to requests for comment at the time of initial reporting, leaving the question of his authorization unresolved.

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