Malaika Aman
Frankie Goes To Holywood was a famous UK bank in the 1980s, and their album ‘Relax’ took the world by storm. They were vocal supporters of LGBTQ+ representation at a time when even mentioning the word gay could result in your music being banned.
That didn’t stop them from releasing the album Relax, which explored LGBTQ themes that were still considered ‘underground’ and strange by many people at the time. This resulted in the BBC banning their hit song ‘Relax,’ despite the fact that it was the number one hit in the UK for five weeks.
In the biopic, Callum Scott Howells will play Johnson.
Callum Scott, the breakout star of It’s A Sin, has already been cast in the lead role, but we don’t know much about who will play the rest of the band. Working Title and Independent Entertainment will handle this biopic, which is a good sign given their track record.
Working Title is always looking to champion British stories and so the opportunity to shine a light on Frankie Goes To Hollywood, a British band who truly revolutionised the UK music industry, was a natural fit for us.
Working under the direction of Bernard Rose, the project will star exciting young talent, Callum Scott Howells in the lead, and Independent Entertainment as partner. We can’t wait to get started.
Tim Bevan, Co-Chairperson of Working Title
What we do know is that the film will feature a slew of this band’s 1980s hit songs, and Universal Music, which owns the band’s catalogue, has already given the green light.
The band had a reunion after 40 years.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood split up in 1987 after allegedly fighting before a concert at Wembley Stadium, and they didn’t perform together again until Monday night at a Liverpool concert. This reunion has piqued fans’ interest in the biopic, and things are looking up.
Combining the wit of the Beatles, the power of The Rolling Stones and the outrage of The Sex Pistols, Frankie Goes To Hollywood went from unemployed Liverpudlians to Kings of pop on the back of their epic banned record Relax. In 1984 they outsold Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Duran Duran.
Their epic rise, bringing the then deeply underground S+M and LGBTQ club scene screaming into the limelight, is the energetic and moving story of underdogs that win one for the ages. I was very much a part of the hoopla, having directed the original ‘banned’ Relax video and I want to bring that innocent and daring world of 1984 back to life for a new audience today…
Rose