Sinéad O’Connor biopic is officially in the works
Directed by Josephine Decker, the film will focus on the late Irish legend's early life and rise to fame
Two years after the death of Sinéad O’Connor, a biopic on the late Irish singer is in the works.
According to Variety, the film will focus on O’Connor’s early life and career, where she rose to an unlikely, at times controversial pop star, breaking out in 1990 when her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” became a Number One hit.
Variety reports that the biopic has been in development since Kathryn Ferguson’s 2022 documentary Nothing Compares. The new film will be directed by Josephine Decker (who helmed 2020’s Shirley) with a script by Stacey Gregg. The Irish company ie: entertainment — who executive produced Nothing Compares — are behind the project, as well as the Irish production company Nine Daughters and See-Saw Films.
O’Connor died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma in July 2023 at the age of 56. At the time of her death, her final album was one track away from completion. According to her management company, she was also reviewing tour dates and considering a biopic, based on her 2021 memoir Rememberings.
O’Connor influenced countless singers like Tori Amos, Tegan and Sara, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, and many others. Following her death, boygenius covered “The Parting Glass” — a Scottish and Irish traditional that Sinéad O’Connor recorded in 2002 — while Phoebe Bridgers paid tribute to her in Rolling Stone.
“Sheembodied what it means to be a musician and stand for something,” Bridgers told us. “Maybe it’s the internet, but in today’s landscape, people are told what is kosher to believe in and they just do that or the bare minimum. She was not like that at all. She made me feel like I was allowed to stand for things. It’s still hard, but I feel so lucky that I can feel validated and my beliefs are taken seriously. And that world exists because of Sinéad’s sacrifice.”