Universal Pictures is set to produce a feature film chronicling the early years of rock band Bon Jovi, Deadline has confirmed. The biopic will follow the band’s rise from modest beginnings in New Jersey to selling out stadiums and becoming one of the defining rock acts of the 1980s.
The film will be produced by Kevin J Walsh, known for ‘Manchester By the Sea’ and ‘House of Gucci’, and Gotham Chopra who directed the 2024 four-part documentary ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story’. The script will be written by Los Angeles-based writer Cody Brotter.
Bon Jovi, led by frontman Jon Bongiovi, have sold over 130 million albums worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 in recognition of their multi-decade influence on rock music.
Jon Bon Jovi grew up in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He began playing music at 13 after receiving an electric guitar for Christmas. As a teenager, he worked as an assistant at the Power Station recording studio in New York, where he observed icons such as Mick Jagger and Diana Ross. The band achieved global fame after the release of 1986’s ‘Slippery When Wet’, topping US charts with hits including ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’.
The biopic will explore the band’s formation and culminate with their supernova success in the 1980s, including their performance at the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival in front of 100,000 fans. Chopra’s documentary highlighted both the band’s highs and struggles, including addiction issues among members and Jon Bon Jovi undergoing vocal surgery that threatened his career.
Jon Bon Jovi revealed in a 2025 interview that he had considered who might portray him in the biopic after watching ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’. His top choice was his son, Jake Bongiovi, who appeared alongside Kiernan Shipka in the 2024 romcom ‘Sweethearts’.
Casting announcements and further production details are expected in the coming months.
