Although it’s not clear what topics will be featured within the movie, the background of the band dates back to its beginnings during the Bay Area amid the rise of the psychedelic counterculture in the 1960s. They continued to release albums and perform on tour as well as tour along with Deadhead followers following their band through the the country for long jam sessions. The great times ended when Garcia died in the year 1995 however, the remaining members have continued to perform with various forms.
Scorsese enjoys a long history of directing and producing rock documentaries throughout the years, including in 2017 the Grateful Dead documentary The Long Strange Trip, but this will be the first time that the director has taken to a biopic. The project brings together Hill and Scorsese who worked as a team in The Wolf of Wall Street, which earned Hill his second Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. They’ve been looking for an opportunity to work together since then and the chance to play a rock star like Garcia was just too appealing for Hill to not take advantage of.
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I love any new Dead material and insight we may get from the film. On the other hand, do I really want to see a big Hollywood production of the Dead, goes against the nature of the group and Jerry. Comment below to share your thoughts?
