So it seems that Jimi Hendrix family, which manages the artist’s music and publishing, is opposed to this upcoming biopic featuring André 3000, I was talking about earlier this week. According to the Wall Street Journal, Experience Hendrix LLC released the a statement declaring that the company ‘has made it known many times in the past that no such film, were it to include original music or copyrights created by Jimi Hendrix, can be undertaken without its full participation.’
‘Has made it known many times in the past’? If they had previously declared their opposition, it is bizarre that the project was already in the work. According to Consequence of Sound, they had first announced their opposition to the biopic in July 2011.
If you go back to the history of the project, it becomes really weird, as Andre 3000 was said to have been enrolled mid 2011, then it was reported that Experience Hendrix had put a stop on it in July 2011, then this past week, we got the news they were about to start filming, and now this same 2011 statement from the family opposing the project published in the Wall Street journal? What game are they playing?
However, the family does not seem to be totally opposed to a biopic as the rest of the statement says: ’Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix, sister of Jimi Hendrix, and the EH board have not ruled out a ‘biopic’ in the future though producing partners would, out of necessity, have to involve the company from the inception of any such film project if it is to include original Jimi Hendrix music or compositions.’
But if they are not opposed to a biopic, André 3000 should be quite upset they are rejecting him in the role of the icon guitarist…. No reaction from his camp has been published yet.