Netflix’s new documentary WHAM! premieres July 5 and tells the story of the chart-topping ’80s British pop act through never-before-seen footage and previously unheard interviews. But Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley is hoping this won’t be the last film about the “Careless Whisper” duo.
Speaking to Music Week, Ridgeley says he’d be “delighted” if a biopic along the lines of Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman was made about him and his late bandmate, George Michael. “I was approached by several studios in the wake of my book [Wham! George Michael & Me],” Ridgeley says. “Wham! is a great story – it’s a dreams come true movie, so it’s got all the ingredients.”
“I would hope that the George Michael Estate might see their way to a film because I think it would be the ultimate accolade, and [George] was always very keen on pitching his brand alongside his peers, that elite strata of artists,” he continues.
“I think a Wham! movie would mean his legacy would be given … well, it’s the very top rung and I know that’s what he would want. So yeah, I’d love to see it happen. Fingers crossed.”
And speaking of that legacy, the Netflix doc and a new compilation, The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven, are all designed to keep Wham!’s music alive and introduce it to a younger generation.
“When I was doing signings for my book I was surprised by how many youngsters came,” Ridgeley says, noting that Wham!’s music has a “visceral energy” that is “powerful and attracts people.”
“They certainly stand the test of time,” he adds. “[T]he fact that they have endured for 40 years is testament to the quality of the songwriting and the character and vitality they’re suffused with.”
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