Hollywood funny man, Jonah Hill is shedding his comedic skin, assuming the role of a rock legend, Jerry Garcia.
Director of The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese has once again enlisted the help of Jonah Hill for an upcoming film, and it is not what we would expect.
The film (yet to be titled) is revealed to be a musical biopic, following the story of Grateful Dead frontman, Jerry Garcia.
The main focus of the film will be the band’s formation and subsequential success in the Bay Area.
There will be a hyper-focus on the psychedelic counterculture movement that really started to boom in the 1960s.
Jonah Hill is well known for his success in the on-screen comedy world, starring in films such as 21 Jump Street and Superbad.
Acting was never the goal for Hill, revealing to Guardian in 2019 he had his heart set on being a filmmaker.
He also revealed to Guardian his frustration towards his “comedy typecasting” led him to turn down a role in the infamous film The Hangover.
Jonah Hill turned down The Hangover! 😱 https://t.co/r716Ti5y5f
— KISS FM (@KissFMUK) May 10, 2020
A far cry from the usual characters Hill is famous for portraying, this could be the welcomed change the actor needs to firmly implant himself in the biz.
Hill has previously spoken out about his transition from a comedic actor stating, “I’m an actor, I’m not a comedian, I never was a comedian.”
A grunge rock sensation with a not so comedic fate could be just what the doctor ordered to ensure Hills career reaches new and exciting light.
Although there will be no high school antics and slam poetry involved, the story of Jerry Garcia does involve a slightly less comedic take on substance consumption.
Jerry Garcia battled heroin and cocaine addiction throughout his career and eventually died of a heart attack at age 53.
Martin Scorsese to direct Grateful Dead biopic starring Jonah Hill as Jerry Garcia https://t.co/xqy9YZHnz9
— Lost In Film (@LostInFilm) November 18, 2021
The surviving members of the band; Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann will all be executive producers on the film, along with Garcias daughter Trixie Garcia.
Scorsese is not flying completely blind with the film, having been the executive producer of the six-part documentary series, Long Strange Trip, released in 2017.
“The Grateful Dead were more than just a band. They were their own planet, populated by millions of devoted fans,” he said of that project.
Jonah Hill has gone to great lengths to be taken more seriously, maybe a story about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll will do the trick.
