After six years of development hell, the long-gestating biopic centering on the chaotic and enduring love story of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne has finally found its leading man.
During a special holiday appearance on the SiriusXM show “Influenced”, hosted by Billy Morrison, Jack Osbourne provided a major update on the project. While the film has been in the works with Sony Pictures for some time, it appears the production has cleared a massive hurdle: casting the metal icon himself.
When the topic of who could possibly embody the Black Sabbath frontman arose, Jack revealed that the decision has already been made, though he remained tight-lipped on the specific name.
“We have our decided pick, and I can’t say anything [yet], but it’s a phenomenal, phenomenal actor,” Jack told Morrison.
He also confirmed that the machinery behind the scenes is finally moving at a rapid pace.
“We are in full steam in the next phase of development with this movie. That’s an acted movie that we’ve been developing with Sony studios for, like, six years already.”
“We have a director attached, and we’re doing a rewrite right now.”
While the rest of the family is deeply involved in the minutiae of production—with Sharon, Jack, and Aimée Osbourne producing via their Osbourne Media banner—Ozzy himself seems less interested in the Hollywood process and more interested in the popcorn.
Jack shared his father’s blunt reaction to the constant status reports.
“And all he kept saying — I’d give him updates: ‘Oh, we met with this guy’, and ‘this is happening’. And he just would go, ‘I don’t give a s**t. Just tell me when it’s out so I can go see it.'”
This impatience aligns with sentiments the singer expressed on the family’s podcast back in April 2024, where he jokingly (and grimly) noted the slow pace of the film industry.
“By the time they finish this film, I’ll be dead… I wanna be alive to f**king see it,” Ozzy said at the time.
The film, which is being scripted by Lee Hall (“Rocketman“), will reportedly focus heavily on the relationship between Ozzy and Sharon, featuring music from both Black Sabbath and Ozzy‘s solo career. Sharon has previously been adamant that this will not be a sanitized, “Hallmark” version of their lives.
“We don’t want it to be squeaky, shiny clean and all of that,” Sharon said in a past interview regarding the tone. “We’re not making it for kids. It’s an adult movie for adults.”
She hopes the story resonates beyond just the heavy metal fanbase.
“I hope it will be a story that everybody can relate to,” Sharon explained. “You don’t have to be a fan of the music, because it’s a story about a survivor. No matter what life throws at you, you pick yourself up and you start again. It’s just an amazing story of overcoming everything that’s thrown at you in your life.”
Ozzy echoed this sentiment in 2020, viewing the project as a testament to their shared history.
“From what I understand, it’s about Sharon and I and our relationship. It’s how we met, fell in love, and how we married. She’s my other half. She grew up a lot with me, and I grew up a lot with her.”
As for who might play the matriarch of metal? Sharon has previously thrown a few high-profile names into the ring.
“Florence Pugh or the little girl from ‘Game Of Thrones‘,“ she suggested when asked about her ideal casting.
