Musical biopics we’d love to see

For some reason, film producers are just now beginning to feel good about the idea of enlisting big names to star in posthumous musician biopics. It started with the news late last year that Sacha Baron Cohen will be playing Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic of the Queen singer. Then came the recent confirmation that Jada Pinkett Smith and Suge Knight will be cast in one about their deceased friend Tupac Shakur. And just this week, rumors started swirling about a possible Jeff Buckley biopic that Robert Pattinson is allegedly dying to star in. Personally, I want to see more, so I’ve provided five more golden ideas for potential subjects and the stars who should play them. Please feel free to produce one yourself; I just want to see these actually get made.

Gram Parsons played by Paul Dano
Gram Parsons paved major ground for rock and country in the ’60s and early ’70s. He also had a catastrophic childhood, went to Harvard and did so many drugs leading up to his fatal overdose at 26 that his final days were spent wandering the California deserts in search of UFOs. The story of how his buddies successfully stole his body from an airport to fulfill a pact was the subject of “Grand Theft Parsons” in 2003, but Parsons’ life is the most important part of his story. The similarly complexioned Paul Dano, known for roles in “Little Miss Sunshine” and “There Will Be Blood,” would be an especially convincing lead.

Jam-Master Jay played by Rob Brown
Jam-Master Jay became a key player in rap’s emergence into the mainstream in the 1980s as the massively popular DJ for his group Run-D.M.C. but was murdered unexpectedly in 2002. Rob Brown knows how to honor a late great on the big screen, which he did in 2008’s “The Express” as Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman Trophy winner. If the Tupac flick disappoints like the 2009 Biggie Smalls biopic “Notorious” did, maybe this one can become the first classic rap biopic of its kind.

Nico played by Uma Thurman
German Warhol Superstar Nico starred in her fair share of movies before her death, but most know her as a musician. One of her biggest feats was collaborating with The Velvet Underground on their monumental 1967 debut, “The Velvet Underground & Nico,” but that’s not to belittle her massive success in acting and modeling. Uma Thurman bears an uncanny resemblance to her fellow blonde, although I have no clue if she can sing.

Jerry Garcia played by Jorge Garcia
Jerry Garcia’s estate has actually been approached for the rights to make the jolly Grateful Dead captain’s biopic before but has yet to give clearance to any proposed project. However, they should change their mind when they hear the beefy co-star of “LOST” would represent him.

Duane Allman played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt
He doesn’t have red hair and can’t grow a great beard, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in a nasty bicycle crash last summer, so he will at least know what he’s doing when reenacting the similar motorcycle accident that killed the elder Allman brother when he was just 24. For his short time on Earth, Duane lived a lot of life and cemented his position in classic rock lore even before passing, so this idea could make for a thrilling look into the fast times of a rock ’n’ roll icon similar to 1991’s “The Doors.”