Smuggler Films announced yesterday that Gossip Girl actor Penn Badgley will star as Jeff Buckley in the biopic, Greetings from Tim Buckley. This is different than Ridley Scott’s son Jake’s planned biopic of the singer. [Deadline]
Penned by Dan Algrant, Emma Sheanshang and David Brendel, the film follows the true story of the days leading up to Buckley’s breakthrough performance at his father’s (musician Tim Buckley, who died of a drug overdose at 28 years old) 1991 tribute concert in St. Ann’s Church.
A romance with a young woman working at concert helps Jeff understand his estranged father just in time for a cathartic performance of Tim’s most well-known songs. Jeff’s debut at the church helped launch a career that would end tragically in May, 1997, when the 30-year-old singer drowned in a channel of the Mississippi River.
It looks like Badgley will perform at least some of Buckley’s music himself for the film. Says producer Patrick Milling Smith of Smuggler Films:
“In its purest form this is a father and son story, a rite of passage that is made possible by a romantic journey Jeff finds himself on. We see Jeff accepting who he is to become and laying to rest the ghost of his father while ultimately finding his voice. We had been searching well over a year for an actor that can come close to Jeff’s spirit while also having the serious musical chops required to authentically tell this story. Penn’s audition blew us away and we knew we found our star.”
Greetings from Tim Buckley begins shooting in August in New York City. For those of you unfamiliar with the Buckleys’ work, below is Jeff Buckley’s “Grace,” the title track from his only album, followed by Tim Buckley’s “Morning Glory.”
What do you think about a movie based on the Buckleys? Does Badgley have the chops to carry this off?