Advertisement

Bradley Cooper in talks to hit the high notes as Barry Gibb in Bee Gees biopic

Bradley Cooper is in talks to play Bee Gees member Barry Gibb. (Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images/Chris Walter/WireImage)
Bradley Cooper is in talks to play Bee Gees member Barry Gibb. (Credit: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images/Chris Walter/WireImage)

Bradley Cooper has already growled his way through one musical as country rocker Jackson Maine in A Star is Born, but his next role might require him to hit some much higher notes.

Cooper is reportedly in informal talks to play Barry Gibb in the upcoming Bee Gees movie biopic.

The Daily Mail’s reliable showbiz reporter Baz Bamigboye says that the 45-year-old is circling the role of the group’s rhythm guitarist and main songwriter, who is credited with driving their global popularity.

Read more: Bradley Cooper’s surprising role in Joker success

Anthony McCarten is penning the script, on the heels of a hot streak of high-profile biopics including The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour, Bohemian Rhapsody and The Two Popes.

Bradley Cooper performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury for 'A Star is Born' on June 23, 2017. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/Redferns)
Bradley Cooper performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury for 'A Star is Born' on June 23, 2017. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/Redferns)

Given that three out of the four lead actors of those movies won Oscars for Best Actor, this is likely an attractive proposition for Cooper.

The star was Oscar-nominated for his role alongside pop sensation Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, for which he also contributed to the songwriting process.

No director has currently been announced for the Bee Gees movie.

Read more: Lady Gaga dismisses “silly” Cooper romance rumours

Sir Barry Gibb, now aged 73, formed The Bee Gees with his younger twin brothers Robin and Maurice in 1958, having previously performed with them and others in skiffle group The Rattlesnakes.

Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb and Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees. (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb and Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees. (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)

The movie will follow the early years of the group’s fame in the 1960s, their unravelling and issues with addiction and their subsequent reunion and rise to global prominence with the iconic disco soundtrack to John Travolta music Saturday Night Fever.

That soundtrack remains the biggest selling movie album of all time.

Read more: Roger Taylor slams “sneering” Bohemian Rhapsody critics

The Bee Gees have sold more than 120 million records worldwide and songs including Night Fever, Stayin’ Alive and How Deep Is Your Love? are renowned as classics.

Barry Gibb is now the only surviving member of the group after Maurice passed away in 2003 and Robin died in 2012.