‘Wind of Change’: Scorpions biopic is in the works
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The story of the German hard rock band Scorpions is set to be the subject of a biopic film called Wind of Change.
Scorpions formed in Hanover in West Germany back in 1965, but they found real success after the late 1970s. Their biggest hit arrived in 1991 with ‘Winds of Change’, which remains one of the best-selling rock singles of all time.
ESX Entertainment has now announced its plans to tell the tale of Scorpions on screen in a biopic named after the band’s signature hit. Winds of Change will follow the band’s journey from Merseybeat-inspired beginnings to mega-stardom, with director Alex Ranarivelo at the helm.
The French filmmaker previously worked on the 2016 film American Wrestler: The Wizard, which borrowed from the real-life experiences of producer Ali Afshar. The pair will collaborate again on Wind of Change, another project which seems to be close to Afshar’s heart.
In a statement quoted by Deadline, the producer suggested that the Scorpions’ output has “penetrated our culture in a big way,” suggesting that their sound’s “evocative quality” is unmatched in rock. This, he suggested, is the reason that their music continues to “get so much airplay and fill movie soundtracks, and their music continues to connect with a new generation of fans across the globe.”
Afshar himself has a special connection with the Scorpions’ music, which he stumbled upon after fleeing from Iran. “When my family fled Iran and came to the United States,” he remembered, “the Scorpions’ music changed my life – if not saved it.”
“I’m hoping that by telling the Scorpions’ story,” he concluded, “we can bring some of that same inspiration to the world.”
The project marks the latest in a wave of biographical music films throughout the last few years, including Baz Luhrmann’s take on Elvis and the disappointing Amy Winehouse biopic Back To Black. Alongside Wind of Change, a number of other projects in this realm are still to come.
Timothée Chalamet is set to take on Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s upcoming biopic, A Complete Unknown, while Jeremy Allen White will play a young Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me From Nowhere. The music biopic craze shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Wind of Change is set to shoot this year, but castings for the band members are yet to be announced. Wind of Change is expected to arrive on our screens next year.