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Jonah Hill cast as Jerry Garcia in Grateful Dead biopic
Abaca Press

Jonah Hill cast as Jerry Garcia in Grateful Dead biopic from Martin Scorsese

This is a lot of name-dropping.

According to Deadline's Justin Kroll, Martin Scorsese "is on board to direct and produce" a forthcoming untitled Grateful Dead biopic for Apple with Jonah Hill "on board" to portray the band's late frontman Jerry Garcia as well as produce.

More from Kroll's report:

"While its unknown what will be covered in the film, the story of the group goes back to the band’s formation in the Bay Area amid the rise of the psychedelic counterculture of the ’60s. They continued to record albums and conduct tours where Deadhead fans would follow them throughout the years all over the country for lengthy rave-like jam sessions. The good times came to an end when band leader Jerry Garcia died in 1995, though surviving members have done their best to carry on.

"Scorsese has a long track record of producing and directing rock docus over the years which included a Grateful Dead doc 'Long Strange Trip' in 2017 but this would mark the first time the director has gone the biopic route for an iconic musical act. The project also reunites Hill and Scorsese, who first worked together on 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' which earned Hill his second Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. The two have been looking for something to work on together ever since then and the opportunity to play a rock legend like Garcia was too good to pass up for Hill."

Garcia died Aug. 9, 1995, from a heart attack at the age of 53.

Hill can next be seen in Adam McKay's sci-fi dramedy "Don't Look Up," which also created a "Wolf of Wall Street" reunion between Hill and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film arrives in select theaters Dec. 10 and Netflix on Dec. 24.

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