Universal Pictures has won a bidding war to create a feature film about the iconic rock band Bon Jovi. The studio has secured access to the band’s music catalog and will collaborate closely with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi. Cody Brotter is set to write the screenplay, while Kevin J. Walsh and Gotham Chopra will produce. A director has not yet been announced, and casting for key roles is still in the early stages.
The film will explore the band’s origins and early years in New Jersey, leading up to their 1986 breakthrough album, *Slippery When Wet*. This album launched them into superstardom and changed their lives forever. The story will follow Jon Bon Jovi’s journey from working as an assistant at Power Station recording studio in New York to selling out stadiums around the world. It will also highlight their memorable performance at the 1989 Moscow Music Peace Festival.
Jon Bon Jovi, born Jon Bongiovi in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, received an electric guitar as a Christmas gift at age 13. He once said, “When you’re that age, everybody thinks you’re gonna be a rock’n’roll star and that you’re gonna really make it. I was just dumb enough to believe it.” The band formed in 1983, with members including keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, late bassist Alec John Such, and original guitarist Richie Sambora, who played with them until 2013.
*Slippery When Wet* spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced two No. 1 hits. In 2024, Gotham Chopra directed a documentary titled *Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story*, which explored the band’s challenges, including addiction and Jon’s vocal surgery.
Bon Jovi released their sixteenth studio album, *Forever*, in 2024 and will kick off their first shows in four years on July 7, starting with nine performances at Madison Square Garden in New York.
