Fans of Frankie Goes to Hollywood can look forward to the release of a biopic that is already in the works.
The film was written and is being directed by Bernard Rose, who directed the band’s Relax music video back in 1984. “Relax,” the band’s debut single, was famously banned by the BBC due to the sexual nature of the lyrics, causing Frankie Goes to Hollywood to gain notoriety and helping to keep the single in the No.1 spot of the UK Singles Chart for 5 weeks.
Following the band’s rise to fame in the 1980s, the biopic will largely be based on what was shared in lead singer Holly Johnson’s memoir, A Bone in My Flute.
Director and screenwriter Bernard Rose described the band as going from “unemployed Liverpudlians to kings of pop on the back of their epic banned record ‘Relax.'”
Rose continued, “It took them from the underground S&M and LGBTQ club scene into mainstream pop culture. I was very much a part of the hoopla, having directed the original ‘banned’ ‘Relax’ video and I want to bring that innocent and daring world of 1984 back to life for a new audience today.”
Callum Scott Howells is set to star as Holly Johnson, following his acclaimed performance in Russell T. Davies’s drama It’s a Sin, which delved into the 1980s and 90s AIDS epidemic.
Speaking on the BBC ban in 1984, Holly Johnson shared on the BBC Breakfast Show that fans said it made them seem “cool, edgy and rebellious,” effectively doing “them a favour.”
However, Johnson said, “But I wanted to sing our number one debut single on Top of the Pops, so that moment was denied us.”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood recently reunited for the first time in 36 years for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, held in their hometown of Liverpool.
Lead singer Holly Johnson commented on the experience, saying, “It was a real pleasure. I’d forgotten how much I really liked those people, and why I liked them. It was great. It couldn’t have been a better outcome. We seemed to have the same chemistry we had back in the day. They dynamic was the same, the energy was the same. It was great, it was a really perfect pop moment.“
Guitarist Brian Nash also shared his thoughts on the band’s reunion via Facebook, writing, “I am SO happy right now, and this weekend made me happier, and I will take that and hold it in my heart alongside my mates, fans, supporters and the people of this wonderful city.“
No further reunion plans have been shared as of yet, with Nash also writing “The future is unwritten but don’t hold your breath.“