Roy Orbison is finally getting a major big screen movie

17 February 2025, 11:11

The Big O is getting a film from the producers of Bohemian Rhapsody.

Roy Orbison is one of the most influential figures in the history of popular music who has long-deserved his moment on the big screen.

Now it seems that he's finally getting it, with a major movie biopic in the works.

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Roy's family have joined forces with independent production company Compelling Pictures to develop a theatrical biopic as well as a long-form documentary about the life and work of The Big O, who died in 1988 aged just 52, Variety reports.

The film has the working title of 'You Got It', taking its name from Orbison's 1988 posthumous hit single.

The movie is being billed as "a romance more than a traditional biopic" and will apparently focus on Orbison's relationship with his wife Barbara, who played a vital role in his late-career comeback.

Roy Orbison - In Dreams

The film has some big name support behind the scenes, with plenty of music biopic experience to help it along.

That includes Denis O'Sullivan who worked on Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody and Jeff Kalligheri, who worked on Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Among the executive producers are Orbison's children Alex Orbison, Roy Orbison Jr. and Wesley Orbison under their Roy's Boys production company.

“The Orbisons are elated to find the perfect partners in Compelling Pictures for the Roy Orbison biopic. Denis and Jeff’s vision for this journey through Roy’s life is incredible," said the family.

Roy Orbison emerged in the mid-1950s and took the 1960s by storm with influential hits like 'Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)', 'In Dreams', 'Pretty Paper' and 'Oh, Pretty Woman'.

While his star faded in the 1970s and 1980s, he had a stunning career comeback towards the end of the decade with the Mystery Girl album and as a member of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys alongside Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison.