‘Rain Man’ Oscar Winner Ron Bass Set To Write & Produce ’60s Political Drama ‘Music On The Bones’

Matt Grobar
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Ron Bass, the scribe best known for his Academy Award-winning work on Rain Man, has been set to write and produce Music on the Bones, a new film inspired by real events.

Set in 1968. a moment in time when rock n’ roll was banned in the USSR, the story follows young Russian doctor Max as he and his friends covertly duplicate and distribute music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and more on repurposed X-Ray film. Against a backdrop of constant surveillance, persecution, and risk of imprisonment, they listen to the forbidden music of the free world, which holds the promise of another life.

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Enter Valerie, an American film student disillusioned with her country, who is invited to Moscow by the Ministry of Culture under the watchful eye of the KBG, to make a propaganda film promoting the virtues of Communism. After a meeting with Max and his companions, Valerie discovers the harsh realities of Soviet life and risks her safety to reveal the truth in a secret second film.

Said Bass in a statement on his involvement, “I am thrilled to join MUSIC ON THE BONES, creating and producing an intense, suspenseful drama based on actual events. The story will focus on a group of individuals who risk their lives for the promise of freedom. Given the oppression of Putin’s Russia, the consequences to citizens and travelers alike no story could be more relevant to today’s headlines and challenges.”

The forthcoming film is based on the Amazon bestseller of the same name by Jody Marriott and Avi Bar-Lev, a duo otherwise known for their producing of the indies West of Thunder and Apple Seed. Said Marriott, “The authentic X-Ray records [that inspired the film] visually capture the timeless impact of music. From the moment I saw these X-rays, I felt compelled to tell their story.” Marriott & Bar-Lev developed Music on the Bones and are also set to produce alongside Stephan Manpearl and attorney Peter Kaufman.

In addition to Barry Levinson’s classic Rain Man, which he co-wrote with Barry Morrow, Bass is known for work on films like My Best Friend’s Wedding, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Joy Luck Club, Sean Connery & Catherine Zeta-Jones caper Entrapment, Chris Columbus’ Stepmom, What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams, and Netflix’s Dakota Johnson-led take on Persuasion. The roster of films that he’s worked on in his nearly 40-year career have collectively amassed over $2 billion dollars worldwide.

Bass is represented by Gersh, The Gotham Group, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Marriott and Bar-Lev are repped by Kaufman Abdel-Aal.

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