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Metro
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Ozzy Osbourne's final wish for biopic on his life that won't be fulfilled
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne lived a life ripe for a movie adaptation – with one officially in the works since 2021. At the late 76-year-old's final-ever gig on July 5 in his hometown of Birmingham, at Villa Park, his son Jack even had fresh updates on the project promising 'we have a lot of good momentum on the Ozzy biopic'. The rocker's boy revealed there was a director attached, and that the script was completed for the Sony-produced film. 'It is about to go through a script rewrite. It's going to be raw. We are not pulling any punches, we are really laying it all out,' he added to The Sun. An unsuspecting comment that Ozzy himself made on the film has now come to pass with his death on July 22. Discussing the developing project with wife of over four decades Sharon on the Osbournes podcast in 2024, she revealed: 'Movies take forever to make. Forever!' Ozzy's quip in response revealed his hope for the biopic as he commented: 'By the time they finish this film, I'll be dead… I wanna be alive to f***ing see it!' Sadly, that won't be the case for the musician, aka the Prince of Darkness, after a tough few years with his health following a Parkinson's diagnosis after a string of complications due to a fall in 2019. During the same chat, Sharon, 72, shared her hopes for the actress that could play her, suggesting Oppenheimer and We Live in Time star Florence Pugh or 'the little girl from Game Of Thrones' – a likely reference to Bella Ramsey, who portrayed Lyanna Mormont on the show and before starring as Ellie in The Last Of Us. But Ozzy himself had an even more epic answer as to who could take on his rollercoaster of a life and career. In 2010, before the Ozzy biopic was in development, The Nerdist podcast host Chris Hardwick asked him who he would pick to play him in a movie about his life. Without missing a beat, the rocker confidently revealed his pick, simply answering: 'Denzel Washington.' The two-time Oscar winner, who has a career total of 10 Academy Award nominations so far, has previously featured in films as varied as Taining Day, Malcolm X and The Tragedy of Macbeth. In the wake of his death, fans have been sharing Ozzy's witty reaction as they remember him fondly. 'Your turn Denzel – this is what Ozzy Osbourne would've wanted,' posted @screenthrill on Instagram. 'Denzel would nail the role,' responded @yar_zednanref, while Katie added: 'Hopefully someone who is probably working on the Ozzy biopic just needs to make this happen (or maybe put Denzel in a post credit scene where he's singing Crazy Train or War Pigs in costume).' In 2019, Sharon revealed she'd been working on developing a biopic about her early days and relationship with her iconic husband after she learned another rival script had been doing the rounds in Hollywood. She dismissed it as 'a load of crap', complaining it 'didn't make sense' and 'didn't have a heart'. 'I don't want to do another rock and roll, sex, drugs and money movie about a musician. That's not what I'm doing,' she told Variety. 'There hasn't been a movie about a woman that actually works on the management side – that's a true story – and somebody that succeeds through the struggle and you come out the other side.' Sharon said the film would cover 'everything before we get married', which they did in 1982, therefore omitting a lot of Ozzy's hellraising. At that stage she'd approached 28 Years Later filmmaker Danny Boyle to direct already and said she would want 'a complete unknown for Ozzy' as it's him 'at a very young age'. The following year, the couple teased more about the movie in an interview with Rolling Stone and a few changes that had been made. 'From what I understand, it's about Sharon and I and our relationship. It's how we met, fell in love, and how we married. She's my other half. She grew up a lot with me, and I grew up a lot with her,' Ozzy explained. 'I hope it will be a story that everybody can relate to,' Sharon added. 'You don't have to be a fan of the music, because it's a story about a survivor. No matter what life throws at you, you pick yourself up and you start again. It's just an amazing story of overcoming everything that's thrown at you in your life.' Son Jack confirmed they'd asked the writer to focus on 1979 to 1996, bringing the timeline forward compared to Sharon's initial idea. Suitably, his mum then insisted that the biopic would be 'a lot more real' than the Freddie Mercury and Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody because 'we don't want it to be squeaky, shiny clean and all of that'. 'We're not making it for kids. It's an adult movie for adults.' In October 2021, the official announcement then came via Variety, confirming the producers and studios involved as Polygram Entertainment, Sony Pictures and Osbourne Media – which is Sharon and two of the couple's children, Jack and daughter Aimée . The scriptwriter was revealed to be Oscar-nominated Billy Elliot and Rocketman scribe Lee Hall and the focus of the film the decades-long bond between the iconic rock star and his manager wife, which exploded onto the pop culture scene in the 2000s thanks to their TV reality show The Osbournes. 'Our relationship at times was often wild, insane and dangerous but it was our undying love that kept us together,' shared Sharon. 'We're thrilled to partner with Sony Pictures and Polygram to bring our story to the screen.' More Trending The update also confirmed that the biopic would feature music from both Black Sabbath and Ozzy's solo career. Jack Osbourne, 39, also shared his hopes for the earliest release possible date for the biopic at his dad's last show, as he confirmed the director they'd landed was 'absolutely phenomenal' and a 'die-hard fan' of his influential father. In terms of a predicted release, he added to The Sun: 'If the evil overlords of Hollywood give us the green light, we could be filming in the spring, so maybe it will be out by the summer of 2027.' It remains to be seen whether Ozzy's death could affect these plans. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Ozzy Osbourne's heartbreaking final texts to sister revealed days before death MORE: Bizarre theory around Trisha Paytas' superhero-inspired name of third baby MORE: Ozzy Osbourne predicted his epitaph would be about bats – this one isn't
Daily Mirror
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ozzy Osbourne only wanted one star to play him as he addressed biopic before tragic death
Ozzy Osbourne has long been a screen star as well as a hard rock icon, and fans are now clamouring for a biopic about the Black Sabbath frontman following the sad news of his death Music icon Ozzy Osbourne possessed a distinctive brand of humour that captivated his fans - which is just one of the reasons behind the outpouring of love for him upon his death. The Prince of Darkness, who passed away aged 76 yesterday (Tuesday, July 22) was beloved as Black Sabbath's lead singer, and through his individual musical endeavours. But he was equally known for his irreverent humour and unique personality. Never more was that on display than during an interview back in 2010. By then, the legendary frontman was equal parts musician and reality TV star. Ozzy starred in the groundbreaking MTV reality series 'The Osbournes' throughout the early 2000s, when his particular style of comedy became evident to broader viewers for the first time. He appeared with his offspring, Jack and Kelly, in other projects later in his life, including Ozzy and Jack's World Detour, and alongside wife Sharon and Jack in The Osbournes Want to Believe. His remarkable journey has been documented in several films, including The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, which was broadcast on BBC Four in 2021. And now, supporters are demanding a biographical film to honour his legendary status. They may have their wish granted, as revealed by his son Jack. He disclosed that a biopic is "on the way", with a "phenomenal" filmmaker attached and a screenplay revision in progress. Jack maintains the picture would be "raw" and declared "we are not pulling any punches". But the most pressing question on everybody's mind is simple. Who would take on the starring part and the demanding task of depicting a heavy metal legend of Ozzy's magnitude? Some devoted fans have noticed that Ozzy had already identified his preferred candidate to portray him in a film about his existence. During a chat back in 2010, well before his death, Ozzy was posed the question. During an appearance on The Nerdist podcast, host Chris Hardwick asked him: "Who would you pick to play you in a movie about your life?" True to form, Ozzy delivered a characteristically blunt two-word response. The Black Sabbath frontman simply answered: "Denzel Washington". Now converted into a meme that has gone viral across social media following Ozzy's passing, supporters hail the moment as a perfect example of the rocker's trademark wit. Lovers of Ozzy's work have now called for the American actor to somehow appear in the forthcoming biographical film. Taking to Instagram, one fan commented: "Hopefully Someone who is probably working on the Ozzy biopic just needs to make this happen (or maybe put Denzel in a post credit scene where he's singing Crazy Train or War Pigs in costume)." A second person declared: "Don't go against a dead man's wish, make it happen." Meanwhile, another suggested: " Netflix getting ideas right now".
