Anthony Mackie to Finally Play Jimi Hendrix in Long-Developing Biopic

Heard any good buzz about Andre Benjamin's Jimi Hendrix biopic, All Is By My Side? Probably not, and a big part of the reason, besides his shaky performance, is that it doesn't feature any of the legendary musician's actual music. Kind of a drag. Paul Greengrass ran into similar issues a few years ago when developing Jimi, a film that would have starred Anthony Mackie as Hendrix. The Hendrix Estate squashed that film, but apparently any problems they had are gone because the film is back on.

Mackie will finally get to play Jimi Hendrix, only now it will be Ol Parker directing from his own screenplay. The story is said to recount the final nine days in Hendrix's life. Thandie Newton will play Hendrix's wife, with Noomi Rapace sought to possibly play his ex-girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. Presumably there will also be someone to play Monika Dannemann, his girlfriend at the time of his death in 1970.

One would think if the project is moving again that rights to Hendrix's music have been secured, but so far there's no confirmation on that or a start date. [TheWrap]

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First Clips of Andre 3000 as Jimi Henrix in 'All Is By My Side'

It's only fitting that a biopic on Hall of Fame rocker Jimi Hendrix would debut at SXSW, but in truth there has been zero advance buzz on All Is By My Side. It's a little odd considering Outkast's Andre Benjamin is playing the axeman, with Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley directing. Maybe all of that will change now that a pair of clips have been released, giving us our first look at Benjamin in the lead role.

Imogen Poots (seen next week in Need for Speed) co-stars as Linda Keith, and the first clip shows a flirtatious moment shared between them. Keith was also the ex-girlfriend of Keith Richards and she was a major influence on both men, and she helped Hendrix get one of his first big breaks.  The story mostly focuses on the years 1966-67 just as he was recording his seminal album, Are You Experienced. The second clip shows Hendrix talking to his future manager about joining a London tour.

Benjamin has struggled to find his niche as an actor (his awful performance in Idlewild is the stuff of legend), and he doesn't seem quite right as Hendrix. Note that none of Hendrix's signature music is in either clip, and that's because none of it was cleared by the Hendrix estate. That's a huge hurdle to overcome, and we'll find out if Ridley pulls it off when All Is By My Side hits SXSW.


First Look At Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in All is By My Side clip by Nics Leone

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1st look at Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix in 'All Is By My Side'

After looking like it was never going to happen, production has finally begun to roll on John Ridley's Jimi Hendrix biopic, All Is By My Side. Outkast's Andre Benjamin is taking on the role of the famed rocker, with Hayley Atwell(Captain America: The First Avenger) playing Linda Keith, the woman who discovered him and introduced him to The Rolling Stones' manager. So the story basically takes place between 1966-1967, leading up the seminal release of Hendrix's Are You Experienced.

We're getting our first look at Benjamin and Atwell on set, with the the former definitely looking the part, and the latter rockin' some blazing crimson locks. Contrary to what I wrote a couple of weeks ago, the Hendrix Estate is not authorizing this film, so we may actually see an unbiased glimpse at his roller coaster, all too brief career. I wish I could tell you these photos fill me with confidence, but John Ridley(Red Tails) is a spotty filmmaker at best, so it's best to temper expectations....[Comingsoon]

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Andre 3000 gears up for Jimi Hendrix biopic, 'All is By My Side'

We've been hearing about a number of Jimi Hendrix biopics over the years, yet none seemed to have a snowball's chance of getting made. Paul Greengrass(Green Zone) was attempting one, but the one that sounded most interesting would feature Outkast's Andre Benjamin(Andre 3000) in the role of the legendary rocker. I just sort of assumed it was dead like most biopics end up, until last year when Hayley Atwell(Captain America: The First Avenger) said she was up for a role. Now it appears the film has finally received the green light from the Hendrix estate, as production is set to begin in just three weeks.

John Ridley(Red Tails, Three Kings) will be writing and directing, his first feature gig behind the camera since 1997's Cold Around the Heart(featuring a gorgeous Stacey Dash!). Titled All is By My Side, the film will take place around 1966-1967, when Hendrix was first discovered by Keith Richards' girlfriend and introduced to the manager of The Rolling Stones. From there he soon went to London and recorded the seminal album, 'Are You Experienced', and began his road to rock 'n roll greatness.

Filming is set to take place in Ireland with a six-week production schedule set. Benjamin seems like a good choice to play Hendrix on paper. He has the look and obviously the musical chops for the part, but his acting has been spotty to say the least. If it were up to me it'd be Lenny Kravitz all the way. I'm guessing since this is another "estate approved" biopic(much like the recent Marley documentary), we won't see too much of the many demons that plagued Hendrix throughout his career. I could be wrong, though. We'll just have to wait and see. [IFTN]

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