Scorsese To Direct Jonah Hill As Jerry Garcia In Grateful Dead Movie

According to Deadline: “Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who have received rave reviews for penning ‘American Crime Story: Impeachment,’ are writing the script with Rick Yorn of LBI Entertainment joining Hill and Scorsese as producers. Bernie Cahill, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Trixie Garcia and Eric Eisner will exec produce. Insiders add that with the band and the groups management participating in the film, Apple has rights to use the groups musical catalogue for the film.”

Hill will also produce the film through his production company, Strong Baby, alongside his producing partner, Matt Dines. “The Grateful Dead were more than just a band,” Scorsese said in a statement at the time of the documentary’s announcement. “They were their own planet, populated by millions of devoted fans. I’m very happy that this picture is being made and proud to be involved.” Apple first lured Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which the director started shooting in late summer. That film is a $200 million Western epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jesse Plemons, and Robert De Niro. Filming on “Flower Moon” wrapped recently, but the Grateful Dead movie won’t start until Scorsese is done with “Flower Moon” post-production. Hill has been outspoken about his love for Scorsese throughout his career. After working on “Wall Street,” the actor attempted to explain Scorsese’s genius by telling press, “You like chess, right? Imagine if you can make the most complex chess move with no clock. You have four hours to make your move, you’re still a brilliant chess player. Now imagine that you make an even better chess move than that brilliant chess player but you do it in 30 seconds with the clock going…[He’s] someone who is a master chess player, a master director. He can fix that problem, it’s advanced problem solving, in 30 seconds. You literally watch him close his eyes and solve an insanely complex issue… directing is just solving issues constantly.”