Armani Group & Family Distance Themselves From Movie Biopic

The Armani Group and family have said they have not authorized Andrea Iervolino’s planned biopic of the late fashion designer and will not participate in its creation. 

In a statement, the Armani and Armani Group said: “While aware of the existence of Andrea Iervolino & Bille August’s project, Armani: The King of Fashion, the Armani Group has never been involved in the initiative, nor has it authorized, supported, endorsed, or participated in its development or production. The company therefore considers itself entirely unrelated to the project and dissociates itself from both the director and the content of the project.” 

The statement was sent to Deadline shortly after we reported that two-Time Palme d’Or winner Bille August had been tapped to direct the biopic. The project is being produced by Iervolino (Ferrari). And we understand the film will follow Armani’s personal and professional evolution. 

Armani passed away on September 4, aged 91, due to liver failure. The icon was previously the subject of a 2015 short film by Martin Scorsese. Crash writer Bobby Moresco, who has teamed with Iervolino multiple times and is directing the producer’s upcoming biopic Maserati: The Brothers starring Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Andy Garcia and Jessica Alba, is attached to write the screenplay for the unauthorized biopic.

Unauthorized fashion biopics aren’t new. Ridley Scott’s 2021 feature on the Gucci family, House of Gucci, was produced without the cooperation of the Gucci family heirs, who later criticized the film for what they described as multiple factual inaccuracies.

August is a veteran filmmaker. His credits include The Best Intentions, Pelle the Conqueror, and The Count of Monte Cristo. Speaking about August, Iervolino described the filmmaker as an artist whose work is “distinguished by elegance, emotional intelligence and a remarkable respect for the lives he portrays.”