Jonah Hill To Star As Jerry Garcia In Martin Scorsese’s Upcoming Grateful Dead Biopic

Actor Jonah Hill has signed on to play Jerry Garcia in a forthcoming Grateful Dead biopic directed by Martin Scorsese sources revealed to Deadline. Scorsese is working on the currently untitled film with Apple as per Deadline’s report.

Both Hill and Scorsese are also aboard as producers for the project with LBI Entertainment’s Rick Yorn. Executive producers include Jerry Garcia’s Grateful Dead bandmates Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart as well as Eric Eisner and Jerry’s daughter, Trixie Garcia. Deadline cited “insiders” with knowledge “that with the band and the group’s management participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the group’s musical catalogue for the film.”

The script will be penned by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Scorsese was among executive producers of the 2017 Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip. The famed filmmaker’s resume also includes directing The Last Waltz documenting The Band’s final concert and the Bob Dylan documentary No Direction Home. Jonah Hill came to fame as the star of 2007’s Superbad. Hill was directed by Scorsese in the 2013 film The Wolf Of Wall Street.

Deadline’s report made no mention of when the Grateful Dead biopic is expected to be released. Formed in 1965 with Garcia among founding members, the Grateful Dead performed and recorded regularly through Jerry’s death in 1995. Head to Deadline for more info.