Mary Guibert, the mother of late musician Jeff Buckley, recently shared details about being approached for a biopic of her son starring Brad Pitt.
In an interview with Variety, Guibert recalled Pitt’s attempts in 2000 to secure her approval for the project. Pitt invited her to lunch at his home and even included her on the guest list for his wedding to Jennifer Aniston. Initially, Guibert agreed to the idea.
However, she soon grew doubtful about Pitt’s suitability for the role. “We’re going to dye your hair, put brown contact lenses on those baby blues, and you’re going to open your mouth and Jeff’s voice is going to come out?” she reportedly asked him.
The biopic plans ultimately shifted direction when director Amy Berg joined the team and decided to focus on a documentary format instead. While sifting through Buckley’s archives, Berg had a breakthrough. “Once I started listening to his voicemail messages, DAP player, demos, and reading his journals, I just couldn’t imagine it being anything but a documentary,” she explained. “I didn’t see how you could replicate Jeff in a scripted way.”
Despite the change in direction, Pitt stayed involved as an executive producer, helping to digitize and preserve Buckley’s belongings for the documentary.
Titled It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, the film premiered at Sundance on January 24th. It includes interviews with artists like Aimee Mann and Ben Harper.
Jeff Buckley tragically passed away at the age of 30 in an accidental drowning in May 1997. Last August marked the 30th anniversary of his iconic album, Grace, the only studio album released during his lifetime.