Filmmaker Malcolm Leo and personal manager John Hartmann have been given the green light to produce a feature-length documentary on Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia according to a report by Nikki Finke for Deadline Hollywood. Leo interview Jer’ back in 1987 for three-hours and that conversation will be the basis for the film, which will also include “never-before-seen performances, documentary footage and rare home videos.”
A Less Serious Jerry Garcia Interview From 1987
Leo has a long history of making rock docs including 1981’s This Is Elvis, The Beach Boys: An American Band from 1985 and a series of Rock and Roll Moments TV movies from last decade. A new website for the film aptly titled JerryMovie.com was launched recently and mentions that the film will be released “during the Days Between, 2012,” while Finke’s report claims this film will come out in “the spring in 2012.” We’ll be sure to keep you posted on any details that come out regarding the film’s release.
Leo and Hartmann’s movie is not to be confused with a biopic based on Robert Greenfield’s Dark Star biography that was in the works or one based on roadie Steve Parish’s Home Before Daylight – My Life with the Grateful Dead book. Coming up with an idea for a Grateful Dead movie is the easy part, securing the rights to use the band’s music has proven much more difficult. Now that Leo and Hartmann have secured those rights, their movie won’t be far behind.
