19th May 2012
Fox Snatches Beach Boys Hits
7th October 2010
Fox 2000, a division of Rupert Murdoch's Hollywood Fox Movies
studio, has won the highly coveted rights to make a movie based on
the back catalogue of the Beach Boys' hit recordings.
The multi-million selling Beach Boys were America's answer to the
Beatles in the 1960s. Their recordings, glorifying the sun-soaked
beach life of California, has sold millions of copies if hits such
as Surfin' USA, I Get Around, and California Girls.
However, like the Beatles, the surviving member of the Beach Boys
and the rights owners of their catalogue have been very
strict about how their songs are used by third parties.
So when the rights became available for a potential movie musical,
several production giants entered into the resulting frenzied
auction.
Fox 2000 won the bid against rivals such as Universal
Studios.
Although no one knows the planned movie's storyline, the
co-producers include John Stamos (who has worked with the Beach
Boys), Neil Meron and Craig Zadan.
Other movie musicals made in similar format are Mamma Mia, based
on ABBA's bits, Hairspray, Grease, and Burlesque, a new movie
starring singing star Christina Aguilera.
Photography: Alissa Alberne from the exhibition Strange Bedfellows 1