In less than 24 hours, a gift to jazz fans across the world became cursed. Hours after news hit of Yasiin Bey returning to the silver screen to portray enigmatic jazz legend Thelonious Monk in the biopic Thelonious, Monk's estate condemned the film. Out of respect for the estate's wishes, Bey took to his personal Instagram account to announce he will not be participating in the film if the Monk family does not approve in a move that underscores the complexity of bringing a dead celebrity's story to life.
Monk's son, 71-year-old Thelonious Sphere "T. S." Monk III, helps run the Thelonious Monk Estate and is the most vocal opponent to the planned depiction of his late father. In an email to Pitchfork, Monk III claimed no one in the family is involved in the making of the film and even went as far as to say "I hate the script," hinting that he and the production company behind the film, Jupiter Rising Film, had been in contact regarding the biopic. If true, Bey's reluctance to do the film is in part due to being misled by people trying to tell a life story they have no personal claim to.
