Frank Farian, the mastermind producer responsible for the groups Milli Vanilli, Boney M., La Bouche, and more, has died. He was 82 years old.
Over the course of his six-decade career, Farian saw considerable success as a songwriter and producer, but his time as the mastermind behind Milli Vanilli — and their infamous lip-syncing controversy — is likely what most remember him for. Farian first met the group’s frontmen, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, in Frankfurt, and signed a contract with them in January 1988, locking them into a deal.
Then, dissatisfied with the quality of the group’s vocal performances, Farian employed session vocalists — including Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and others — to provide the lead vocal parts for the duo’s recordings, leading to an arrangement where Pilatus and Morvan, against their desires, lip-synced the parts that they claimed to be singing themselves.
Upon the release of Milli Vanilli’s biggest hit,...
Over the course of his six-decade career, Farian saw considerable success as a songwriter and producer, but his time as the mastermind behind Milli Vanilli — and their infamous lip-syncing controversy — is likely what most remember him for. Farian first met the group’s frontmen, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, in Frankfurt, and signed a contract with them in January 1988, locking them into a deal.
Then, dissatisfied with the quality of the group’s vocal performances, Farian employed session vocalists — including Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and others — to provide the lead vocal parts for the duo’s recordings, leading to an arrangement where Pilatus and Morvan, against their desires, lip-synced the parts that they claimed to be singing themselves.
Upon the release of Milli Vanilli’s biggest hit,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Frank Farian — the founder of groups Boney M. and Milli Vanilli — has died at the age of 82. The German producer’s agency released a statement Tuesday confirming that Farian had died peacefully at his home in Miami.
Although his cause of death was not immediately revealed, Farian said that he had gone through heart valve replacement surgery in 2022. He told the magazine Bild at the time that the surgery saved his life.
Farian founded R&b pop duo Milli Vanilli — comprised of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus — in the late 1980s.
Although his cause of death was not immediately revealed, Farian said that he had gone through heart valve replacement surgery in 2022. He told the magazine Bild at the time that the surgery saved his life.
Farian founded R&b pop duo Milli Vanilli — comprised of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus — in the late 1980s.
- 1/23/2024
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
German record producer and singer/songwriter Frank Farian, who founded Milli Vanilli and the disco-pop group Boney M., has died. He was 82.
His family released a statement confirming he died “peacefully” at his home in Miami, Florida.
Farian was the brains behind the pop duo Milli Vanilli, who was best known for their songs “Blame It On The Rain” and “Girl You Know It’s True.” He later admitted to the lip-syncing scandal that led to the revocation of the duo’s 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist. It also led to multiple lawsuits in the U.S.
The Germany-born producer started his career off as a singer by forming a band called Frankie Boys Schatten. He then branched out as a solo artist before joining vocalists Liz Mitchell, Marcia Barrett, front man Bobby Farrell and dancer Maizie Williams in 1976 to create Boney M. The group was big in Europe with songs like “Daddy Cool,...
His family released a statement confirming he died “peacefully” at his home in Miami, Florida.
Farian was the brains behind the pop duo Milli Vanilli, who was best known for their songs “Blame It On The Rain” and “Girl You Know It’s True.” He later admitted to the lip-syncing scandal that led to the revocation of the duo’s 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist. It also led to multiple lawsuits in the U.S.
The Germany-born producer started his career off as a singer by forming a band called Frankie Boys Schatten. He then branched out as a solo artist before joining vocalists Liz Mitchell, Marcia Barrett, front man Bobby Farrell and dancer Maizie Williams in 1976 to create Boney M. The group was big in Europe with songs like “Daddy Cool,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
If you’re going to make a music biopic — and with new dramatic takes on the lives of Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson on the way, it appears everyone is — you’d better secure the music rights. Making a movie purporting to tell the story of a pop music legend without first clearing rights to use the pop music that made them legendary is a recipe for box office disaster.
Remember Stardust, Gabriel Range’s 2020 David Bowie biopic starring Johnny Flynn, shot without any music from Bowie? Or Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013) directed by John Ridley with André 3000 as Jimi Hendrix playing none of his original songs? How about England Is Mine, Mark Gill’s unauthorized Morrissey biopic with Jack Lowden and Jodie Comer? Probably not. Without the sing-alone tunes, those films sank without a trace.
The blockbuster pop biopics — Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman,...
Remember Stardust, Gabriel Range’s 2020 David Bowie biopic starring Johnny Flynn, shot without any music from Bowie? Or Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013) directed by John Ridley with André 3000 as Jimi Hendrix playing none of his original songs? How about England Is Mine, Mark Gill’s unauthorized Morrissey biopic with Jack Lowden and Jodie Comer? Probably not. Without the sing-alone tunes, those films sank without a trace.
The blockbuster pop biopics — Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Girl you know it’s – girl you know it’s – girl you know it’s –. Milli Vanilli’s lip-syncing scandal was one of the biggest pop culture controversies of the 1990s, which is really saying something. That it happened so early in the duo’s career made them both a blip and a punchline in the music world. Now, surviving member Fab Morvan is reflecting on the most trying time of his career ahead of the release of the aptly titled documentary Milli Vanilli this month.
Speaking with The Messenger, Morvan said the public perception turned incredibly fast on Milli Vanilli. “We were not what people thought we were, which is the puppet master of everybody and everything. We were the front people, but behind, there was so much more. Unfortunately, the journalists didn’t investigate properly.” As it turns out, the decision to have both Morvan and Rob Pilatus...
Speaking with The Messenger, Morvan said the public perception turned incredibly fast on Milli Vanilli. “We were not what people thought we were, which is the puppet master of everybody and everything. We were the front people, but behind, there was so much more. Unfortunately, the journalists didn’t investigate properly.” As it turns out, the decision to have both Morvan and Rob Pilatus...
- 10/19/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
"What I'm looking for are *stars*!" Leonine Studios has revealed a trailer for a German movie called Girl You Know It's True, about the infamous duo known as Milli Vanilli, referencing one of their biggest tracks. Paramount+ is also releasing their own official Milli Vanilli doc this fall - it's streaming next week on their platform (in the US only). This movie is a fictionalized biopic version of their story. Dancers Pilatus & Morvan rise to fame in the late 80s and become stars with No.1 hits, even winning a Grammy. However, the duo never sang a word in their songs, always lip syncing. When the truth is finally revealed, they stare into the abyss while the world witnesses one of the biggest scandals in music history. Starring Tijan Njie as Rob & Elan Ben Ali as Fab, plus Matthias Schweighöfer as their sketchy record producer Frank Farian. This is a German...
- 10/16/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
True Story: back in 1989-1990, when I was eight years old, I was a major Milli Vanilli fan. I had a cassette copy of their debut album, “Girl You Know It’s True”, and my cheap Walkman almost wore it out. But, when the two were exposed as frauds in April of 1990, like many fans, I was brokenhearted. I remember chucking my cassette tape into the garbage, something pretty much all the kids at my elementary school did. As soon as it came out that they were fakes, they became pariahs and the uncoolest thing you could possibly listen to in the schoolyard.
Of course, the truth behind the Milli Vanilli phenomenon is more complicated. Now Paramount Plus is set to debut an explosive documentary on the duo, which drops October 24th and has just released a new trailer (embedded above). Milli Vanilli was Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, two dancer-models...
Of course, the truth behind the Milli Vanilli phenomenon is more complicated. Now Paramount Plus is set to debut an explosive documentary on the duo, which drops October 24th and has just released a new trailer (embedded above). Milli Vanilli was Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, two dancer-models...
- 9/18/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
"We're not saying 'no' to this powerful producer." Paramount+ has revealed the trailer for a documentary film titled Milli Vanilli, an honest look back at "music's biggest scandal." This initially premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival this year, and it's also playing at the Mill Valley Film Festival before streaming in October. "For over 30 years, the story of Milli Vanilli – in particular Rob and Fab – has been reduced to sensational headlines," explains director Luke Korem. "With this documentary, we pull back the curtain on pop music. Featuring interviews with the real singers, record executives, the producer mastermind behind the deception, and exclusive interviews with Rob and Fab, we unveil the truth of this complex, exciting, and dramatic story." Milli Vanilli was a German-French R&b duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Moran comments on the doc saying,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A revealing new documentary takes an inside look at the most infamous lip-syncing scandal in pop music history
You could argue that, at least in the realm of pop music, the year 1989 belonged to Milli Vanilli.
The German-French pop duo, formed barely a year earlier by the German producer Frank Farian, had already barnstormed through European charts with their first single Girl You Know It’s True. The song hit the US airwaves in March with stratospheric impact. Their debut album sold over 8m copies and spawned three No 1 singles; it stayed in the top 10 for the rest of the year. Young fans, predominantly women, screamed along to Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan’s tight choreography and blatant eye candy – long braided hair extensions that swung freely when they danced, come-hither stares, chiseled abs, shoulder pads and spandex shorts, incredible energy and incredibly 80s dance moves.
You could argue that, at least in the realm of pop music, the year 1989 belonged to Milli Vanilli.
The German-French pop duo, formed barely a year earlier by the German producer Frank Farian, had already barnstormed through European charts with their first single Girl You Know It’s True. The song hit the US airwaves in March with stratospheric impact. Their debut album sold over 8m copies and spawned three No 1 singles; it stayed in the top 10 for the rest of the year. Young fans, predominantly women, screamed along to Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan’s tight choreography and blatant eye candy – long braided hair extensions that swung freely when they danced, come-hither stares, chiseled abs, shoulder pads and spandex shorts, incredible energy and incredibly 80s dance moves.
- 6/15/2023
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
Back in 1990, the downfall of European pop duo Milli Vanilli seemed like an open-and-shut case of disgrace.
They — Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus — were the lip-synching scofflaws, convicted in the court of public opinion of fraud against a generation of FM Top 40 radio listeners robbed of our precious sense that music and its artistic authorship were directly linked. The punishment? Permanent professional ostracism and punchline status — though when Pilatus died of an accidental drug overdose in 1998, the reality became even more punitive.
Luke Korem’s new documentary Milli Vanilli attempts to give the “Blame It on the Rain” non-singers 106 minutes of re-evaluation. Were they perpetrators or victims? If they were some gradation of the latter, who were the actual villains? If they were some gradation of the former, did the punishment fit the crime? What did Rob and Fab actually do, what was their actual sin and why did audiences respond the way they did?...
They — Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus — were the lip-synching scofflaws, convicted in the court of public opinion of fraud against a generation of FM Top 40 radio listeners robbed of our precious sense that music and its artistic authorship were directly linked. The punishment? Permanent professional ostracism and punchline status — though when Pilatus died of an accidental drug overdose in 1998, the reality became even more punitive.
Luke Korem’s new documentary Milli Vanilli attempts to give the “Blame It on the Rain” non-singers 106 minutes of re-evaluation. Were they perpetrators or victims? If they were some gradation of the latter, who were the actual villains? If they were some gradation of the former, did the punishment fit the crime? What did Rob and Fab actually do, what was their actual sin and why did audiences respond the way they did?...
- 6/13/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s one of the inside-out realities of our era that scandal, if you give it enough time, turns into myth. So it is with the story of Milli Vanilli, the German-French R&b pop duo of the late ’80s and early ’90s who, having sold close to 50 million records, were revealed to be a fake: a pair of lip-syncing Euro pretty boys who hadn’t sung a note on any of their hits or at any of their concerts.
Once they’d been unmasked, the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli played out on two levels. The first was the spectacular embarrassing bad joke of it all — though it was never just a joke, since Milli Vanilli’s fans felt a tremendous sense of anger and betrayal at having been fooled. (The joke was on them.) The second level recognized a crucial and obvious truth: that the scandal wasn...
Once they’d been unmasked, the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli played out on two levels. The first was the spectacular embarrassing bad joke of it all — though it was never just a joke, since Milli Vanilli’s fans felt a tremendous sense of anger and betrayal at having been fooled. (The joke was on them.) The second level recognized a crucial and obvious truth: that the scandal wasn...
- 6/12/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Some three decades after one of the biggest scandals in the history of pop music, Milli Vanilli still commands a certain fascination for those who lived through the 1980s. Their debut album went six times platinum and they won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1990, but later that year Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, the faces of the group, had to do a mea culpa because they had not actually sung on the album.
Luke Korem’s documentary, “Milli Vanilli,” which receives its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival and will stream on Paramount+ in the fall, is well-researched and polished, even if it’s essentially a feature-length episode of “Behind the Music.”
The movie traces the story as far back as their humble beginnings. Pilatus, born in Germany to an American soldier and a strip dancer, lived in an orphanage until age 4. Morvan, from a broken family, moved at 18 from Paris to Munich,...
Luke Korem’s documentary, “Milli Vanilli,” which receives its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival and will stream on Paramount+ in the fall, is well-researched and polished, even if it’s essentially a feature-length episode of “Behind the Music.”
The movie traces the story as far back as their humble beginnings. Pilatus, born in Germany to an American soldier and a strip dancer, lived in an orphanage until age 4. Morvan, from a broken family, moved at 18 from Paris to Munich,...
- 6/11/2023
- by Martin Tsai
- The Wrap
More than three decades have passed since Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan — together and forever known as Milli Vanilli – took the music world by storm, and fell from grace even faster. Their six-times-platinum debut album in the U.S., “Girl You Know It’s True,” was accompanied by a marketing blitz that produced three No. 1 singles, a trio of American Music Awards and a Best New Artist Grammy before it was revealed that the duo had not sung on the album. An epic level of public humiliation ensured, as the duo were compelled to return their Grammy and nearly everyone who’d worked with them pleaded ignorance, often disingenuously.
Luke Korem – who directed the new “Milli Vanilli” documentary, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival – was just seven years old during that 18-month-long real-life drama, which tragically culminated with Pilatus’ fatal drug overdose in 1998.
“I’m a child of the ‘90s,” Korem explains about the doc,...
Luke Korem – who directed the new “Milli Vanilli” documentary, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival – was just seven years old during that 18-month-long real-life drama, which tragically culminated with Pilatus’ fatal drug overdose in 1998.
“I’m a child of the ‘90s,” Korem explains about the doc,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Roy Trakin
- Variety Film + TV
Since its establishment in 2019, Leonine Studios has become one of Germany’s leading film distributors.
Forged by the merger of two companies, Concorde Film and Universum Film, the distribution powerhouse releases between20 and 25 films a year, including around five in-house productions or co-productions, says Bernhard zu Castell, Leonine Studios’ chief distribution officer.
“Our aim is to offer a slate of event movies that is an optimal blend of genres for all target groups and all our partners in the highest possible quality,” adds zu Castell, who previously headed Universum Film. “This strategy was key in establishing ourselves as a reliable distributor and licensor for all content platforms.”
The company last year enjoyed its biggest hit yet with “School of Magical Animals 2,” a fast-growing franchise that Leonine also co-produces. The film sold more than 2.8 million admissions (3 million counting Austria), making it 2022’s most successful German release and the fifth highest-grossing movie of the year by admissions.
Forged by the merger of two companies, Concorde Film and Universum Film, the distribution powerhouse releases between20 and 25 films a year, including around five in-house productions or co-productions, says Bernhard zu Castell, Leonine Studios’ chief distribution officer.
“Our aim is to offer a slate of event movies that is an optimal blend of genres for all target groups and all our partners in the highest possible quality,” adds zu Castell, who previously headed Universum Film. “This strategy was key in establishing ourselves as a reliable distributor and licensor for all content platforms.”
The company last year enjoyed its biggest hit yet with “School of Magical Animals 2,” a fast-growing franchise that Leonine also co-produces. The film sold more than 2.8 million admissions (3 million counting Austria), making it 2022’s most successful German release and the fifth highest-grossing movie of the year by admissions.
- 5/11/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Production wrapped in December; delivery expected in fourth quarter.
Voltage Pictures has boarded worldwide sales excluding Germany on Milli Vanilli biopic Girl You Know It’s True from Leonine Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film and has kicked off talks with buyers at the EFM.
The production, financing and sales company showed first footage to buyers during a lively presentation at CinemaxX on Thursday evening.
The film charts the meteoric rise of the Grammy-winning German French R&b duo, who took the world by storm in the late 1980s before it all came crashing down when it emerged they lip-synched their songs.
Voltage Pictures has boarded worldwide sales excluding Germany on Milli Vanilli biopic Girl You Know It’s True from Leonine Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film and has kicked off talks with buyers at the EFM.
The production, financing and sales company showed first footage to buyers during a lively presentation at CinemaxX on Thursday evening.
The film charts the meteoric rise of the Grammy-winning German French R&b duo, who took the world by storm in the late 1980s before it all came crashing down when it emerged they lip-synched their songs.
- 2/17/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Production wrapped in December; delivery expected in fourth quarter.
Voltage Pictures has boarded worldwide sales excluding Germany on Milli Vanilli biopic Girl You Know It’s True from Leonine Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film and has kicked off talks at the EFM.
The production, financing and sales company showed first footage to buyers during a lively presentation at CinemaxX on Thursday evening.
The film charts the meteoric rise of the Grammy-winning German French R&b duo, who took the world by storm in the late 1980s before it all came crashing down when it emerged they lip-synched their songs.
Simon Verhoeven...
Voltage Pictures has boarded worldwide sales excluding Germany on Milli Vanilli biopic Girl You Know It’s True from Leonine Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film and has kicked off talks at the EFM.
The production, financing and sales company showed first footage to buyers during a lively presentation at CinemaxX on Thursday evening.
The film charts the meteoric rise of the Grammy-winning German French R&b duo, who took the world by storm in the late 1980s before it all came crashing down when it emerged they lip-synched their songs.
Simon Verhoeven...
- 2/17/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Everyone’s favorite ’80s pop star scandal are back, and they’ve brought their own hair gel.
Leonine Studios has dropped the first two images from their hotly anticipated Milli Vanilli music biopic Girl You Know It’s True, and the first look is something to see.
After several failed attempts to bring the story of the rise and scandalous fall of the ’80s pop stars to the screen, Leonine, together with star producers Wiedemann & Berg (Dark, The Lives of Others), are currently shooting the feature, which is expected to wrap in December.
Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie and (see above) star as Fabrice Morvan and Robert Pilatus, the top-charting pop R&b duo out of Munich who became global stars in the 1980s, scoring three No. 1 hits in the U.S. But the duo had a dirty secret: they were a fake band,...
Everyone’s favorite ’80s pop star scandal are back, and they’ve brought their own hair gel.
Leonine Studios has dropped the first two images from their hotly anticipated Milli Vanilli music biopic Girl You Know It’s True, and the first look is something to see.
After several failed attempts to bring the story of the rise and scandalous fall of the ’80s pop stars to the screen, Leonine, together with star producers Wiedemann & Berg (Dark, The Lives of Others), are currently shooting the feature, which is expected to wrap in December.
Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie and (see above) star as Fabrice Morvan and Robert Pilatus, the top-charting pop R&b duo out of Munich who became global stars in the 1980s, scoring three No. 1 hits in the U.S. But the duo had a dirty secret: they were a fake band,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With production underway on its Milli Vanilli biopic Girl You Know It’s True, Leonine Studios has revealed the first-look photos for the pic produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film.
Newcomers Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali are set to portray the respective lead roles of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan. Matthias Schweighöfer is starring as German music producer Frank Farian. The cast also includes Graham Rogers as Milli Vanilli’s U.S. assistant Todd and Bella Dayne as Milli, Farian’s right-hand woman.
You can see the first images below of Ali as Fabrice and Njie as Robert, followed by an image of Schweighöfer as Farian:
Simon Verhoeven is directing the pic, with Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann producing. It marks another collaboration of the successful trio that has teamed on four No. 1 German box office hits. Kirstin Winkler is overseeing production as executive producer.
Girl You Know It’s...
Newcomers Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali are set to portray the respective lead roles of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan. Matthias Schweighöfer is starring as German music producer Frank Farian. The cast also includes Graham Rogers as Milli Vanilli’s U.S. assistant Todd and Bella Dayne as Milli, Farian’s right-hand woman.
You can see the first images below of Ali as Fabrice and Njie as Robert, followed by an image of Schweighöfer as Farian:
Simon Verhoeven is directing the pic, with Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann producing. It marks another collaboration of the successful trio that has teamed on four No. 1 German box office hits. Kirstin Winkler is overseeing production as executive producer.
Girl You Know It’s...
- 8/31/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
This story appears in Rolling Stone‘s 2021 Future of Music issue, a special project delving into the next era of the multibillion-dollar hitmaking business. Read the other stories here.
Ali Tamposi has co-written some of the biggest pop hits in recent memory, from Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello’s “Senorita” to Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart.” Her name is all over Ozzy Osbourne, Miley Cyrus, and 5 Seconds of Summer’s most-recent albums too.
In conversation, she’s remarkably cool and collected. That is, unless you ask her about the first...
Ali Tamposi has co-written some of the biggest pop hits in recent memory, from Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello’s “Senorita” to Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart.” Her name is all over Ozzy Osbourne, Miley Cyrus, and 5 Seconds of Summer’s most-recent albums too.
In conversation, she’s remarkably cool and collected. That is, unless you ask her about the first...
- 6/15/2021
- by Samantha Hissong
- Rollingstone.com
John Davis, one of the singers who contributed the real vocals to the fake hit-making duo Milli Vanilli, has died at the age of 66.
Davis’ daughter Jasmin confirmed her father’s death in a May 24th Facebook post, adding that he died from complications related to Covid-19, Variety reports. “He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music,” she wrote. “He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.
Davis’ daughter Jasmin confirmed her father’s death in a May 24th Facebook post, adding that he died from complications related to Covid-19, Variety reports. “He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music,” she wrote. “He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.
- 5/27/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Milli Vanilli is getting the documentary treatment. Luke Korem will direct the film, named after the pop duo’s hit single “Girl You Know It’s True.”
The film will chronicle the rise and fall of the most infamous Grammy winners in history.
In 1987, German producer Frank Farian brought together immigrants Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus to create the pop duo Milli Vanilli. The two produced one of the biggest hits of the decade, won the Grammy for Best New Artist and sold over 10 million records. But after it was revealed that the two had lip-synced their multi-platinum 1989 album, it caused a scandal that led to them being stripped of their awards, their financial independence, their dignity as artists and, eventually, Pilatus’ tragic death.
The film will feature never-before-seen footage as well as interviews with the actual singers behind Milli Vanilli’s music and exclusive access to surviving member Morvan.
The film will chronicle the rise and fall of the most infamous Grammy winners in history.
In 1987, German producer Frank Farian brought together immigrants Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus to create the pop duo Milli Vanilli. The two produced one of the biggest hits of the decade, won the Grammy for Best New Artist and sold over 10 million records. But after it was revealed that the two had lip-synced their multi-platinum 1989 album, it caused a scandal that led to them being stripped of their awards, their financial independence, their dignity as artists and, eventually, Pilatus’ tragic death.
The film will feature never-before-seen footage as well as interviews with the actual singers behind Milli Vanilli’s music and exclusive access to surviving member Morvan.
- 5/13/2021
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
The history of the “Untitled Milli Vanilli Movie” has been almost as much of a roller coaster ride as the duo’s infamous career. The latest roadblock for the biopic, which dates back to a 2007 screenplay by fan Jeff Nathanson, who wanted to direct the film himself, was the demise of Brett Ratner’s $450 million co-financing deal with Warner Bros. for his RatPac Entertainment, which the studio officially announced it wouldn’t renew on April 10. The company was responsible for some of the studio’s biggest hits last year, including “Wonder Woman,” “It,” “Dunkirk” and “The Lego Batman Movie.”
Ratner was set to take the director’s chair for the proposed $20-30 million production, helming his first project since 2014’s “Hercules.” Shooting was planned for both Berlin and Los Angeles, but once Ratner became the subject of sexual harassment accusations late last year, the momentum stopped.
Milli Vanilli’s epic...
Ratner was set to take the director’s chair for the proposed $20-30 million production, helming his first project since 2014’s “Hercules.” Shooting was planned for both Berlin and Los Angeles, but once Ratner became the subject of sexual harassment accusations late last year, the momentum stopped.
Milli Vanilli’s epic...
- 4/12/2018
- by Roy Trakin
- Variety Film + TV
In the late 1980's Milli Vanilli blasted to the top of the charts on exotic good looks and the wonder of spandex over lean muscle. But they didn't stay there long, banned from public consumption even quicker than they were welcomed, after they were exposed as lip sync frauds who had never recorded the songs in the first place. Universal Pictures was working to piece together a film about the infamous fakes a few years ago, but it didn't get too far. Now Deadline reports that German director Florian Gallenberger will rewrite and helm the picture with The Kennedy/Marshall Company ("Munich," "The Bourne Ultimatum")
You may recall that Milli Vanilli was a somewhat well disguised product of German pop from start to finish, so it's fitting a German would take on the story. Gallenberger won an Academy Award for his short film "Quiero Ser," and his feature "John Rabe,...
You may recall that Milli Vanilli was a somewhat well disguised product of German pop from start to finish, so it's fitting a German would take on the story. Gallenberger won an Academy Award for his short film "Quiero Ser," and his feature "John Rabe,...
- 2/16/2011
- by Brandon Kim
- ifc.com
Yes, you know it’s true… ooh, ooh, ooh… that Florian Gallenberger has signed on to write and direct a feature film based on the 80s pop duo – Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan or, if you prefer Milli Vanilli!
Gallenberger is German director who won an Oscar for his live-action short Quero Ser and directed John Rabe, so we guess that this could be an interesting project.
The story will revolve around Pilatus and Morvan, who were hired by German record producer Frank Farian as the faces of his music group. Farian had the signers and the songs, but wanted a certain look, which he found when he spotted model/dancer friends Pilatus and Morvan in a Munich club.
Milli Vanilli debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990. They soon became one of the most popular pop acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Gallenberger is German director who won an Oscar for his live-action short Quero Ser and directed John Rabe, so we guess that this could be an interesting project.
The story will revolve around Pilatus and Morvan, who were hired by German record producer Frank Farian as the faces of his music group. Farian had the signers and the songs, but wanted a certain look, which he found when he spotted model/dancer friends Pilatus and Morvan in a Munich club.
Milli Vanilli debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990. They soon became one of the most popular pop acts in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
- 2/14/2011
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
We know the gist of the Milli Vanilli story, basically how the two were Grammy-winning singers who were only lip-synching this whole time. The Kennedy/Marshall Company wants to make their story "Milli Vanilli" into a film with the help of Florian Gallenberger. They're tapping onto the filmmaker to rewrite the script and direct the project. Originally the project was holding shop at Universal Pictures with Jeff Nathanson penning an early draft of the "Milli Vanilli" script. Kennedy/Marshall scooped up the rights and the script, and now they're working on it by themselves with Nathanson still on as producer.This must be exciting times for Gallenberger, since this is his first Hollywood feature film. He's previously directed "John Rabe," starring Steve Buscemi, and won some awards for his work. Now he gets to tackle the biggest controversial '80s duo out there. The two were found in Munich who...
- 2/12/2011
- LRMonline.com
Deadline has learned that Florian Gallenberger, the German-born filmmaker who won an Oscar for his live-action short "Quero Ser" and directed "John Rabe," has signed on to write and direct a feature film based on the 80s pop duo Milli Vanilli. The story will revolve around Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who were hired by German record producer Frank Farian as the faces of his music group. Farian had the signers and the songs, but wanted a certain look, which he found when he spotted model/dancer friends Pilatus and Morvan in a Munich club. They soared to the top of the charts with songs like "Blame It On The Rain" and "Girl You Know It's True" until evidence began to mount that they were lip-synching frauds. Farian ended up exposing the charade, but by then, the group has sold millions of records and won a Grammy Award. The trophy was taken away,...
- 2/11/2011
- WorstPreviews.com
The story of lip-synching early 90s duo Milli Vanilli is tailor-made for some kind of rise and fall biopic, and that exact project has been in the works at least since 2007, though you know at least a few ambitious producers have been eyeing the rights from the moment their Grammy was taken away in 1990. Now after years in development, a writer-director has finally boarded the project-- according to Deadline, German Oscar-winner Florian Gallenberger will take the reins and start writing a script immediately. Gallenberger won the Oscar for Best Live-Action short in 2000, and also directed the German feature film John Rabe, which starred Steve Buscemi and won four German FIlm Awards in 2009 (no, I have no idea why I've never heard of this movie before). The Milli Vanilli story also has significant German connections-- the man who put them together in the first place was German-born Frank Farian; he's also...
- 2/11/2011
- cinemablend.com
Exclusive: Florian Gallenberger has been set by The Kennedy/Marshall Company to rewrite and direct Milli Vanilli, a feature film that tells the story of the '80s pop duo that soared to the top of the charts then fell just as precipitously when they were exposed as lip-synching frauds. Gallenberger is the German-born filmmaker who won the Academy Award for his live action short film Quiero Ser. His feature John Rabe, which was shot in China and starred Steve Buscemi, won four 2009 German Film Awards including Best Picture. This is the first Hollywood film for Gallenberger, who just signed with UTA and continues to be managed by Anonymous Content. It turns out that Milli Vanilli is a decidedly German story. The duo, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, were hired by German record producer Frank Farian to front a group he'd put together locally. Farian had the singers and the songs,...
- 2/11/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Frontman of '70s disco band died at age 61 while on tour in Russia.
By Gil Kaufman
Bobby Farrell
Photo: Gary Merrin/Getty Images
Bobby Farrell, the energetic frontman of 1970s disco band Boney M, died on Thursday (December 30) in his hotel room in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the age of 61.
Reuters reported that Farrell was found dead in his room the day after a show in the city where the band achieved some of its career highlights during the Soviet era.
"He did a show last night as part of Bobby Farrell's Boney M and they found him this morning dead in his hotel room," agent John Seine told Reuters. "He did not feel well last night and was having problems with his breathing, but he did the show anyway." The cause of death was not immediately released.
The group, which formed in West Germany in the late 1970s,...
By Gil Kaufman
Bobby Farrell
Photo: Gary Merrin/Getty Images
Bobby Farrell, the energetic frontman of 1970s disco band Boney M, died on Thursday (December 30) in his hotel room in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the age of 61.
Reuters reported that Farrell was found dead in his room the day after a show in the city where the band achieved some of its career highlights during the Soviet era.
"He did a show last night as part of Bobby Farrell's Boney M and they found him this morning dead in his hotel room," agent John Seine told Reuters. "He did not feel well last night and was having problems with his breathing, but he did the show anyway." The cause of death was not immediately released.
The group, which formed in West Germany in the late 1970s,...
- 12/30/2010
- MTV Music News
Amsterdam — Bobby Farrell, whose group Boney M topped the 1970s European charts with its glittering showmanship and blend of disco and Calypso music, was found dead in his hotel bed Thursday while on tour in Russia, his agent said. He was 61.
The frontman appeared as scheduled in St. Petersburg Wednesday night, but complained of breathing problems before and after his show, said the agent, John Seine.
The group had 38 top 10 hits, including 15 number ones in Germany. They included "Brown Girl in the Ring" and "Mary's Boychild." Their version of "By the Rivers of Babylon" sold nearly 2 million records in Britain alone, keeping it No. 1 for five weeks in 1978.
The same year, Boney M became the first Western music group invited by a Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, to perform in the Soviet Union. A Soviet military plane flew the performers from London to Moscow, where they sang for an audience of 2,700 Russians in Red Square.
The frontman appeared as scheduled in St. Petersburg Wednesday night, but complained of breathing problems before and after his show, said the agent, John Seine.
The group had 38 top 10 hits, including 15 number ones in Germany. They included "Brown Girl in the Ring" and "Mary's Boychild." Their version of "By the Rivers of Babylon" sold nearly 2 million records in Britain alone, keeping it No. 1 for five weeks in 1978.
The same year, Boney M became the first Western music group invited by a Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev, to perform in the Soviet Union. A Soviet military plane flew the performers from London to Moscow, where they sang for an audience of 2,700 Russians in Red Square.
- 12/30/2010
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Friday (Nov. 19) is the 20th anniversary of Milli Vanilli giving back the best new artist Grammy they won in 1990 because, well, they didn't earn it.
Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus were sold as the singers in Milli Vanilli, but as they started to break big in the United States in 1989, allegations surfaced that they weren't the ones who actually sang on their debut album. That didn't stop Grammy voters from giving them the best new artist award in 1990, but in November 1990 Milli Vanilli mastermind Frank Farian admitted that other singers had provided the vocals for "Girl You Know It's True," "Blame It on the Rain" and other Milli Vanilli hits.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Fab and Rob giving back their Grammy, we thought we'd look at some other great moments involving lip-syncing, backing tracks and Auto-Tuning.
Ashlee Simpson on "Saturday Night Live": Simpson performed her single...
Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus were sold as the singers in Milli Vanilli, but as they started to break big in the United States in 1989, allegations surfaced that they weren't the ones who actually sang on their debut album. That didn't stop Grammy voters from giving them the best new artist award in 1990, but in November 1990 Milli Vanilli mastermind Frank Farian admitted that other singers had provided the vocals for "Girl You Know It's True," "Blame It on the Rain" and other Milli Vanilli hits.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Fab and Rob giving back their Grammy, we thought we'd look at some other great moments involving lip-syncing, backing tracks and Auto-Tuning.
Ashlee Simpson on "Saturday Night Live": Simpson performed her single...
- 11/19/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
A Grammy Award can be a cumbersome thing.In 1990, months after receiving the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, Milli Vanilli's producer, Frank Farian, gave into overwhelming pressure from reporters and admitted the group hadn't actually sung on any of their recordings. A wave of lawsuits followed, and co-frontman Rob Pilatus later blamed the band's Grammy nomination for the intense media backlash. 7 years later, a disgraced Pilatus was found dead of an apparent overdose in his hotel room.This week, only one day after the title track from their latest album "Viva La Vida" was nominated for Best Record of the year, English mope-rockers Cold ...
- 12/7/2008
- by By Actress Archives
Disgraced singer Fabrice Morvan of 80s miming duo Milli Vanilli has been attempting a comeback career. The Girl You Know It's True band were chosen by Eurodisco producer Frank Farian to lip-sync to other singers' vocals, until it was later exposed that Fabrice and the late Rob Pilatus - who died of a drug overdose in 1998 - were miming. Now Morvan, 35, is touring America with the Malibu Rum Showerpalooza, a travelling karaoke booth in a shower stall with fake shower sights and sounds. Malibu Rum spokesman Stuart Kirby explains, "We asked ourselves, who in the music community sings but is almost in a position to make fun of themselves? Fabrice immediately popped to mind." The show opened in an Indianapolis, Indiana last Wednesday and will move on to Milwaukee - Wisconsin, Chicago - Illinois and Minneapolis - Minnesota next week.
- 8/21/2001
- WENN
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