Hank Williams’ Life Story Coming to the Big Screen

A film about arguably the biggest country legend of all time is in the works. Variety magazine reports that 821 Entertainment and Strike Entertainment are teaming up to make a movie based on the life Hank Williams. Screenwriter Marc Abraham will pen what is sure to be a dramatic script about the iconic musician who died of alcohol and drug-induced heart failure at the age of 29.

"He was the first real star who went down as the result of his lifestyle, succeeded by Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain," Abraham said. "He destroyed himself, but for six years leading to his death, Hank had six songs each year in the Top 10."

The yet-to-be-titled movie has been a long time in the making, as producers have been waiting on permission from the Hank Williams estate to use some of Hank's classic songs in the film. They've also obtained the rights to 'Hank Williams: The Biography,' a book by Colin Escott that will be used as a resource for the screenplay.

"It took us almost five years to execute this deal, and people told us we were crazy to try because the estate was so fractured," reports Eric Geadelmann, CEO of 821 Entertainment.

But could this movie actually mend some bad blood amongst the Williams family? Hank Williams, Jr. and his half-sister, Jett Williams, run the estate and are said to be cooperating together on this project, though the two have not always gotten along.

This will be the second movie made about Hank Williams' life. It follows the 1964 film, 'Your Cheatin' Heart,' starring George Hamilton.