Billy Joel Biopic 'Billy & Me' Sets October 2026 Production Start in Winnipeg and New York

A feature film chronicling the early years of one of rock and roll's most enduring icons is moving toward production, and the timeline gives working crew plenty of runway to get positioned. Billy & Me, a music biopic centered on Billy Joel's rise to fame before the release of Piano Man, is set to begin principal photography in October 2026, with a dual-location shoot planned across Winnipeg, Manitoba and New York City. The film is told through the perspective of Irwin Mazur, Joel's first manager and a producer on the project, which gives the story an unusually personal point of view for a music biopic. For crew in both Canada and the United States, this one is worth putting on the radar now.

Directing the film is John Ottman, a name that carries significant weight in Hollywood but is perhaps best known outside the director's chair. Ottman has spent decades as one of the most respected film editors and composers in the business, earning an Academy Award for his editing work on The Usual Suspects and collaborating extensively with director Bryan Singer on films including X2, Superman Returns and Bohemian Rhapsody. His editorial and musical sensibility makes him a genuinely compelling choice to helm a music biopic, and his experience on Bohemian Rhapsody in particular signals that he understands the mechanics of building a rock and roll origin story for the screen. The screenplay is written by Adam Ripp, and the project carries the authenticity of Mazur himself serving as a producer alongside Sheldon Brigman, Ricky Budhrani and Rizal Risjad. Having the real Irwin Mazur in the producer's seat suggests the production has direct access to firsthand accounts and archival material that could shape a richly detailed period piece.

Casting director Ferne Cassel is attached to the project, which is significant news for agents and talent working in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. Cassel is a well-regarded casting professional with credits spanning independent features and studio productions, and her involvement signals that the casting process is a real priority for this team. The central role of Billy Joel himself, as a young and hungry musician navigating the New York music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s, will be one of the more high-profile casting searches in the biopic space over the coming year. Agents representing young male talent with strong musical ability should be paying close attention as this production moves through development.

The production is being developed under the banner of three companies: Artphyl Pictures, Vega Baby and Launch Entertainment. These are smaller independent production entities rather than major studio arms, which suggests this is a passion-driven independent feature rather than a studio tentpole, likely pursuing a mix of private financing, tax incentive capital and pre-sales. The choice to shoot in Winnipeg is almost certainly driven by Manitoba's competitive film and video production tax credit, which can offset a meaningful percentage of eligible Manitoba labor costs and has made the province an increasingly attractive alternative to pricier Canadian production hubs like Toronto and Vancouver. No distributor or streaming platform has been publicly announced at this stage, which is consistent with the production's current development status.

Winnipeg has quietly grown into a capable production center with a solid infrastructure base, including access to stage facilities and a developing local crew community, though productions of this scale typically supplement the local roster with imported department heads, particularly in above-the-line and senior technical positions. The New York portion of the shoot will be essential for period authenticity, capturing the actual geography of Joel's early career in the Bronx, Long Island and the clubs of Manhattan. Shooting in New York brings its own logistical complexity and cost, but for a film about a distinctly New York artist, it would be nearly impossible to fake those locations convincingly. Line producer Liam Finn is already attached, meaning the production's physical logistics are beginning to take shape well ahead of the October start.

As a period music biopic set in the early 1970s, Billy & Me will require robust support across several departments. The art and costume departments will face the challenge of authentically recreating a specific and beloved era, from the look of Greenwich Village clubs to the fashion of early Joel-era Long Island. A strong locations department will be essential for managing the dual-city shoot. Live musical performance sequences, if they follow the genre's conventions, will require playback and music supervision expertise, and the production will almost certainly involve a significant music licensing and recording component given the Joel catalog. Union status has not been confirmed, but given the combination of U.S. and Canadian locations, the involvement of experienced producers and a director of Ottman's profile, a SAG-AFTRA and IATSE-covered production is a reasonable expectation.

With filming still a year away, Billy & Me is in the sweet spot for crew to make their interest known and for department heads to begin conversations with the production team. ProductionList.com carries the full listing for this project, including production company contacts, the attached crew roster and location details. If you are a department head, coordinator, location scout or casting professional working in either the Winnipeg or New York markets, this is the right moment to get on the radar before the pre-production hiring push begins in earnest in 2026. Bookmark the listing and check back regularly as the production moves closer to its cameras-up date.

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