I AM OZZY, THE MOVIE?

I wish I could find video of this somewhere, but I seem to recall a red carpet interview with Robert Downey, Jr. at last week’s Oscars, where the interviewer told him there was a rumor that Ozzy Osbourne wanted Downey to play him in a movie. The reviewer asked if Downey would ever consider such a role; Downey deferred to his wife, producer Susan Downey, who replied “It all depends on the script,” which is Hollywood-speak for “It all depends on how much money they offer us.”

At the time this all struck me as “What if?” talk – but now Metal Underground is reporting a rumor that Ozzy is “in talks with several studios” about turning his recent (and, much to my disbelief, apparently quite good) autobiography, I Am Ozzy, into a feature film.

Of course, this could be nothing more than a rumor – but given Ozzy’s name value in pop culture and the fact that music-related biopics are so often successful, financially if not creatively (Ray, Walk the Line, etc.), I’d be surprised if someone didn’t at least option the tome. (If you don’t know what I mean by “option,” read this.) That doesn’t mean it will ever get made – the movie version of Motley Crue’s The Dirt appears to be forever stuck in development hell – but it means there’s a realistic possibility that it could get made.

So here’s a fun game to play while we’re waiting to see how this all shakes out: who should play Ozzy if they make a movie of his life? Downey is actually a pretty good choice, persona-wise, even if I think he’s somewhat more dashing than Mr. Osbourne (I assume any actor could pack on the necessary chub to play the Ozzman, if necessary). I seem to recall a rumor a few years back about Jack Black wanting the role, but I think that’s an awful idea. And you may recall the rumblings that Christopher Walken was gonna play Ozzy in the aforementioned movie version of The Dirt – although Nikki Sixx put the kibosh on that rumor.

So… make your suggestions below, and we’ll obviously give you more info as we get it.

-AR