Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis is Next on the Music Biopic Train, with Universal Optioning the Film

Photo Credit: Kreepin Death / CC by 4.0

Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers fame is the latest to show up on the music biopic train, with Universal Pictures optioning the rights to a feature film project based on Kiedis’ New York Times bestseller “Scar Tissue.” Brian Grazer will produce the film through Imagine Entertainment, alongside Kiedis, and Guy Oseary, who has managed the Chili Peppers since 2021.

The book provides a candid look at Kiedis as the frontman of Red Hot Chili Peppers, as an artist, and as an addict. Set against the drug-fueled Los Angeles punk scene of the 1970s and 1980s, “Scar Tissue” portrays an “unconventional father-and-son story,” and how Kiedis’ experiences led to the music embraced by millions of fans worldwide.

Universal promises an adaptation of the book providing “a shockingly candid portrait of an artist, addict, and ringleader,” and a story that examines “without judgement, how all of his experiences shaped (the band’s) music.” The book was released in 2004, written by Kiedis with Larry Sloman, and was a New York Times bestseller.Born in Grand Rapids, MI, Anthony Kiedis moved to Los Angeles when he was 12, providing an early exposure to the LA music scene and helping lay the foundation for his music career. He co-founded the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1983 with guitarist Hillel Slovak, bassist Flea (Michael Balzary), and drummer Jack Irons. Kiedis’ energetic stage presence, coupled with the band’s fusion of funk, punk, and rock, rapidly gained the band a devoted fan base.

Red Hot Chili Peppers has had nine Top 10 albums, 15 No. 1 Modern Rock singles, and six Grammy Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. The band is scheduled to play dates scheduled from late May through late July, including headlining appearances at Bonaroo in June.