Mario Van Peebles Set To Direct Drama Detailing Birth Of Rock n’ Roll

Mario Van Peebles is set to direct a brand new film about the rise of rock’ n’ roll. Variety reports that Peebles will lend his vision to That’ll Be the Day, which chronicles how Buddy Holly and other peers from the 1950s pushed rock’ n’ roll into the white American zeitgeist.

The movie is said to discuss how rock’ n’ roll impacted American society and culture and deeply affected moments like the civil rights movement. “America’s tumultuous cultural melting pot has produced transcendent musical talent, including Buddy Holly, who was our first bada** rock’ n’ roll nerd,” Van Peebles said in a statement.

That’ll Be the Day will be produced by Rick French for Prix Productions and Stuart Benjamin of Stuart Benjamin Productions. Patrick Shanahan and Matthew Benjamin serve as the movie’s scribes, with Van Peebles writing “additional materials” for the film. The outlet reports that the script is based on a story by French and Stephen Easley in “general counsel” with the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. The outlet also reports that BMG, the company that manages and controls the Buddy Holly estate, has also supplied funding for the project.

David Hirshland, Peter Bradley, Jr. of the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, and Stephen Easley, who has a deep understanding of Buddy Holly’s legacy, are the film’s executive producers. Maria Elena Holly, the widow of Buddy Holly, is also an associate producer, ensuring that the film stays true to Buddy Holly’s spirit and story.

No other information regarding the film has been released at the time of this article’s publishing.

Buddy Holly was a pioneer, not the founder, of rock n’ roll. The legendary act was an American singer and songwriter and central piece to bringing a version of the genre to the American zeitgeist. His lead and rhythm guitar was influential in the early days of the genre, with songs like “Peggy Sue,” “Don’t Fade Away,” and, of course, “That’ll Be The Day.” But his iconic status ended abruptly after Holly’s life was cut short.

In February 1959, Buddy Holly died in an accidental plane crash in Iowa. The crash also claimed the lives of rock n’ roll pioneers Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Maria Elena Holly would suffer from a miscarriage the next day, preventing her from attending her husband’s funeral. The date has since been nicknamed “The Day The Music Died.”

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