An upcoming movie starring Machine Gun Kelly as a doomed musician will change its title following what appeared to be a pointed complaint from the brother of the late rapper Mac Miller.
The film set to depict the Travis Barker-collaborating, Megan Fox-dating rapper-turned-rocker as a musical artist in his final troubled days was initially called Good News. The title, unambiguous based on the movie’s subject matter, nodded to Miller’s song of the same name, a single from the rapper’s posthumous 2020 album, Circles. In 2018, Miller, whose real name was Malcolm McCormick, died of an accidental drug overdose at age 26.
The film isn’t a Mac Miller biopic, however, but a fictional narrative that takes its cues from the lives of him and other musicians who died early. Regardless, the rapper’s surviving brother, Miller McCormick, seemingly took issue with the title, expressing angered thoughts in an expletive-specked social media post, according to the NME. (See a screenshot of the comment below.)
“Fuck you, fuck your movie, at least change the title,” the Instagram account @millermccormick said in an Instagram Story.
In response to that and other critiques on social media, the production team behind the movie set to begin filming in Los Angeles next week revealed that they would change its title.
“Our film is about a fictional musician on the rise with a troubled life,” the producers relayed in a recent statement. “It’s not in any way a biopic or based on any artist’s true life.”
Those behind the movie said they “realized the title, which was intended as an homage to Mac Miller, and other artists gone too soon, feels disrespectful. We’ve heard from many people on social media who have found offense with the title, so, without hesitation, we will change it.”
For the past couple of years, Machine Gun Kelly, whose real name is Colson Baker, has enjoyed a parallel career as an actor while his music grows in popularity. The musician portrayed Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee in 2019’s The Dirt, and he features alongside his girlfriend Fox in the Bruce Willis-led Midnight in the Switchgrass, out later this month.
