Bruce Springsteen turned down the idea of a biopic for years, here's what finally convinced him

Bruce Springsteen is the head of the E Street Band and is a popular songwriter, singer, and guitarist. Since the 1970s, he has been active in the music scene and has sold over 140 million records globally. He is also the recipient of several awards, including 20 Grammy Awards, one Oscar, and two Golden Globes, among others.

Springsteen's life is getting a real-life adaptation in the forthcoming biographical musical drama film Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. For years, he turned down the idea of his biopic until this film happened. Let's find out what finally convinced him of this project.

Bruce Springsteen finally got convinced for his biopic

Bruce Springsteen had been rejecting the idea of a film being based on his life. He had been rejecting the idea for years until the project Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere finally persuaded him Talking about this, the film's director, Scott Cooper, said that Springsteen was convinced after realizing that the story focuses on his struggle and experience and not just his success. Cooper said:

"It wasn't Bruce Springsteen, the icon and rock star who could fill stadiums. It was Bruce alone in a rented house, trying to understand himself and his unresolved traumas through song. The book captured the tension between the myth of Bruce Springsteen and the man. That's where the film lived for me. Not in the spectacle, but in the silence, the hesitation, the uncertainty. I saw a cinematic portrait of an artist willing to strip himself completely."

He added,

"Bruce has famously turned down countless offers to tell his story. But he saw that I was determined to avoid any hagiography. Bruce once told me, 'The truth about yourself is rarely pretty, and I want you to tell the truth about my struggles.'"

Springsteen has called this film an "anti-biopic" that focuses on a few years of his life.

"It just takes a couple of years of my life, when I was 31 and 32, and really looks at it during a time when I made that particular record and when I was going through some tough times in my life. I'm old and I don't give a shit what I do now."

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is an adaptation of Warren Zanes's 2023 novel Deliver Me from Nowhere and is written and directed by Scott Cooper. It's produced by Cooper, Scott Stuber, Eric Robinson, and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. Jeremy Allen White, known for his role in The Bear, stars as the titular musician. Other cast members include Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, and Odessa Young, among others.

On August 29, 2025, the film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. 20th Century Studios will be releasing it theatrically on October 24.