First Freddie, Then Elton, Now Boy George Biopic in the Works

Hollywood likes safe bets, and after the success of last year's Bohemian Rhapsody, the movie industry is warming to more films about queer rock stars.

After the Freddie Mercury-centered Bohemian and the Elton John-focused Rocketman (released today), MGM is moving ahead with a movie based on the life of Culture Club lead singer Boy George. Sacha Gervasi, behind 2012's Hitchcock (another biopic), will write and direct the currently unnamed film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Born George O'Dowd in suburban London, Boy George cut his teeth in Britain's late-'70s/early-'80s New Romantic scene, where young clubgoers worshipped artists like David Bowie, Roxy Music, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Boy George set himself apart with his hyper-adrogynous style, which bordered on drag. He soon formed a band called Culture Club, which released two hugely successful albums -- Kissing to Be Clever and Colour by Numbers. A third album sold less, compounded by George's growing drug addiction and dysfunction within the band.

George was coy about his sexuality throughout Culture Club's heyday -- he secretly carried on an affair with the band's drummer, Jon Moss. In interviews, George would sometimes say he was bisexual, and he later came out as gay. Meanwhile, Culture Club's videos and Boy George's public persona boldly played with gender norms.

After Culture Club, Boy George launched a solo career, where he recorded the theme song to The Crying Game, worked as a DJ, and was nominated for a Tony for his work on the musical Taboo. Legal problems persisted through the 1990s and 2000s, but George's life has since stabilized, with the musician releasing albums and starring as a mentor on The Voice UK.