Outkast’s Andre 3000 to star in Jimi Hendrix biopic

According to the Irish Film And Television Network, All Is By My Side will focus on Hendrix’s life between the years of 1966 and ’67. Hendrix fans will recall this as the period in which The Jimi Hendrix Experience created their debut album Are You Experienced and subsequently kicked off the all-too-short career of the virtuoso guitar player. The film, which is to be written and directed by Three Kings writer John Ridley, will start shooting in Ireland in three weeks time.

While it’s not quite as exciting as word of a new Outkast album — it’s been nearly a decade since the duo’s last true release — the idea of Andre 3000 starring as Jimi Hendrix in an upcoming biographical film is still quite intriguing,  if, for no other reason, than Andre 3000’s striking similarities to Hendrix in both aesthetics and overall cult of personality. Though their musical careers have been separated by decades and massive shifts in cultural taste, both men possess an immense cross-cultural appeal and charisma that has endeared each to millions of people around the world.

Notably lacking from the IFTN report is word on what level of support this upcoming film has seen from the Hendrix estate. Since his death in 1970, there have been several attempts to film a biography of the man, almost all of which have fallen apart when it was realized that the studios would not be granted access to Hendrix’s music catalogue. It’s rather difficult to make a movie about a musician when you can’t feature his music, regardless of how interesting your cast might be.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that in lieu of support from the Hendrix estate, the filmmakers might just include tonally similar tunes that attempt to capture the Hendrix vibe without infringing on the actual music he created. Given the dedication of Hendrix’s fans though, and their likely response to the idea of faux Hendrix songs, it seems more detrimental to the film to attempt to ape the original recordings than to simply film a movie sans actual Jimi Hendrix music.

Fingers crossed that the filmmakers can secure the rights, if only because we’re very curious to see how well Andre 3000 can capture the spirit of the beloved rock star.