IFC Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to “Stardust,” the unauthorized biopic about the life of David Bowie starring Johnny Flynn as the legendary music icon.
“Stardust” made its debut to press earlier this year as an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival, but IFC will now release the movie in Q4 of this year. It will also make its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival in October.
The film follows a 24-year-old Bowie on his first trip to America in 1971 to meet with Mercury Records publicist Ron Oberman, only to be met with a world not yet ready for his genre-bending music and style.
Except “Stardust” isn’t even really a biopic, as it was made without the blessing of Bowie’s estate and does not contain any of Bowie’s actual music. But it still has been a buzzy title for its performance from Flynn and how it dives into the creation of one of Bowie’s most recognizable alter egos, Ziggy Stardust, and how that side of him helped define the turning point of his career.
Flynn stars alongside Marc Maron as Ron Oberman and Jena Malone as Bowie’s wife Angie. “Stardust” is directed by Gabriel Range and co-written by Christopher Bell.
“‘Stardust’ isn’t the traditional film we are used to seeing when it comes to profiling life-changing cultural icons like David Bowie. It takes a fresh perspective on the rock movie genre and the memorable performances by Johnny Flynn and Marc Maron give this rarely told story a new life. We are thrilled to be working with our friends at Film Constellation and the very talented filmmaking team to bring this film to U.S. audiences,” Arianna Bocco, EVP of acquisitions and productions of IFC Films said in a statement.
“‘Stardust’ is about a key stretch of the journey Bowie took to become the artist we love. I’m delighted by IFC’s passion and enthusiasm for our film and excited to see it in theaters in the fall,” Range said in a statement.
Producing “Stardust” is Paul Van Carter and Nick Taussig of Salon Pictures alongside Matt Code, with executive producers Fabien Westerhoff, Christopher Figg, Robert Whitehouse, and Saskia Thomas.
The deal for the film was negotiated by IFC Films’ EVP of Acquisitions and Productions Arianna Bocco with Fabien Westerhoff of Film Constellation on behalf of the filmmakers.
11 of David Bowie's Most Iconic Film and TV Roles (Videos)
"The Man Who Fell to Earth"
Bowie's first leading role was in 1976's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" as an alien who comes to Earth to bring water back to his home planet. Bowie later admitted he was abusing cocaine while filming the movie.
"The Hunger"
Starring alongside Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon, Bowie played a vampire in the 1983 cult classic "The Hunger."
"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"
An adaptation of the Laurens van der Post novel "The Seed and the Sower," 1983's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" starred Bowie as a POW held in a Japanese internment camp during WWII.
"Labyrinth"
Bowie's most iconic on-screen role was as the big-haired Goblin King Jareth in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth" in 1986. In addition to starring in the film alongside Jennifer Connelly, Bowie also composed all of the music.
"The Last Temptation of Christ"
Replacing Sting, who passed on the role, Bowie played religious figure Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ" in 1988 alongside Willem Dafoe as Jesus Christ.
"Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me"
Though he never appeared in the original ABC series, Bowie appeared in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks" prequel movie "Fire Walk With Me" in 1992.
"Basquiat"
In one of his smaller film appearances, the "Life on Mars" singer played artist Andy Warhol in Julian Schnabel's biopic of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1996.
"The Hunger" (TV Series)
Bowie narrated the second season of the Showtime horror anthology "The Hunger" in 2000, providing ominous introductions to standalone stories about cannibalism, vampires, sex, and poison each week.
"Zoolander"
One of the most memorable moments from 2001's "Zoolander" was a scene in which Bowie judged a walk-off between Ben Stiller's Derek Zoolander and Owen Wilson's character Hansel.
"The Prestige"
Playing Andy Warhol in "Basquiat" wasn't the last time Bowie portrayed a real-life figure on screen. In 2005 he appeared in Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige" as physicist Nikola Tesla.
"Extras"
In 2007, Bowie made a guest appearance on Ricky Gervais' comedy series "Extras" as himself, sitting down at a piano and singing a biting tribute to the comedian
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From ”Labyrinth“ to ”The Prestige,“ Bowie’s onscreen roles added another dimension to a legendary career that ended two years ago
"The Man Who Fell to Earth"
Bowie's first leading role was in 1976's "The Man Who Fell to Earth" as an alien who comes to Earth to bring water back to his home planet. Bowie later admitted he was abusing cocaine while filming the movie.
