Years after Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne announced their relationship would be the subject of a biopic, one question has been on metal fans’ minds: who will play the Prince of Darkness?
While there are plenty of great candidates (Mutoid Man’s Ben Koller does a spot-on impression), Jack Osbourne made his pick during the Tuesday, March 12, episode of “The Osbournes Podcast.” As Jack, 38, Sharon, 71, Ozzy, 75, and Kelly Osbourne talked about their favorite films, the discussion turned to the biopic the family announced in 2020. “I know who I want to play Mom,” said Kelly, 39, of Sharon. “I think Florence Pugh would do a fantastic [job.]” Sharon agreed with Pugh or suggested Maisie Williams (“the little girl from Game of Thrones”) could portray her in the movie.
As for Ozzy? “You know who I want to play Dad?” asked Jack. “Bill Hader. Everyone thinks I’m f—kin’ crazy until I show a side-by-side picture and that guy’s ability to morph [into a character].”
Sharon approved of Jack’s pick, saying Hader, 45, is “brilliant” and agreed he would crush the part of Ozzy. The “Crazy Train” singer wasn’t sure who Hader was, and when Jack showed his father a photo of the Barry star, Ozzy wasn’t convinced. “F—k off!” said the metal icon.
Kelly also disapproved of the Saturday Night Live alum’s ability to capture Ozzy’s essence in the film. Instead, she said an “unknown” but talented actor should take the part.
“That’s going to be the hardest thing, is that with an unknown actor, so much of dad is [being] physically being able to [act],” said Jack. When Sharon noted how Austin Butler was able to capture Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrman’s Elvis movie, Jack said that Ozzy’s physicality is entirely different from Presley’s.
Ozzy didn’t seem to care either way. At the start of the discussion, he declared, “By the time we finish this film, I’ll be dead.” In recent years, Ozzy has dealt with a range of health issues, including Parkinson’s Disease and lingering back problems that forced him to retire from the road. However, the “Bark at the Moon” singer hopes to return to performing, even for one farewell show.
Sharon, Ozzy and Jack announced the biopic in a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone. The movie will focus on the period between 1979, after Black Sabbath fired Ozzy over his drug and alcohol problems, to 1999. Sharon took over as Ozzy’s manager and encouraged him to start his highly successful solo career.
During that period, Sharon and Ozzy got married, started a family, and had numerous professional and personal ups and downs — specifically, Ozzy’s cheating.
“I hope it will be a story that everybody can relate to,” Sharon told Rolling Stone. “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.
The Osbournes also stressed that the film would take a different approach than biopics like Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody. “We don’t want it to be squeaky, shiny, clean and all of that,” said Sharon. “We’re not making it for kids. It’s an adult movie for adults.”
