Music legend Lionel Richie is the next in line for a biopic treatment. Disney is reportedly working on an original musical based on Richie's music.
Variety first reported that the project is tentatively named "All Night Long," from the 1983 Lionel Richie hit of the same name. Richie is currently affiliated with the entertainment conglomerate through ABC's American Idol. The crooner is presently among the show's judges together with Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.
According to reports, Richie sold the film to Disney earlier this year, provided he will work as an executive producer. Peter Chiarelli, who previously worked on "Crazy Rich Asians" and "The Proposal," is on board for the script.
Lionel Richie's five-decade music catalog
As a part of the deal, the Lionel Richie catalog will be available for use in the upcoming biopic. The singer-songwriter from Tuskegee, Alabama, started as a member of the funk and soul group the Commodores. As a funk and soul act, they had dance hits like "Brick House" as well as ballads like "Easy" and "Three Times A Lady."
In 1982, Richie left the group to pursue his successful solo career. His self-titled debut album cemented him as one of the best crooners with "Truly." This song charted the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in the US. It was followed by the top five hits, "My Love" and "You Are."
He maintained the momentum with his follow-up album, 1983's "Can't Slow Down," far surpassing his debut album in terms of sales. His record also won two Grammy Awards, one of which was the Album of the Year. It spawned his 1983 Caribbean dance hit "All Night Long," accompanied by a festive music video produced by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees. Richie performed this song at the closing ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Lionel Richie has then become a certified hitmaker, releasing successful hits such as the timeless love song "Hello" and "Stuck On You" in 1984. He wrote and performed "Say You, Say Me" for the 1985 Mikhail Baryshnikov drama film "White Nights." It earned Richi an Academy Award for Best Original Song and topped the Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs charts.
His latest album was Tuskegee in 2012. Since then, Richie has remained active, with tours, performances, and TV appearances.
Silver screen treatment
Lionel Richie getting his biopic is a promising venture, following other music icons in the renaissance of the music biopic subgenre. Back in 2015, the hip-hop collective NWA released "Straight Outta Compton" to commercial and critical success. It also inspired the release of Dr. Dre's album "Compton," debuting at No. 2 in the albums charts. Its official soundtrack debuted at the top of the Rap Albums Chart and the Top R&B/ Hip-Hop Albums chart.
In 2018, Rami Malek won the Oscars' Best Actor for his portrayal of the late Freddie Mercury in the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody." The Brian May and Roger Taylor-supervised film grossed close to a billion dollars worldwide.
The following year, it was Sir Elton John's turn with "Rocketman." His flamboyant on-stage persona and his backstage struggles were portrayed by "Kingsman" star Taron Egerton. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release. The critically-acclaimed biopic grossed close to $200 million against a budget of $40 million.
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