Criticism by Mac Miller's brother compels makers to change Machine Gun Kelly's movie title

Jul 02, 2021

Washington [US], July 2 : American rapper Mac Miller's brother, Miller McCormick, recently appeared to criticize an upcoming film on social media, in which Machine Gun Kelly will play the role of a troubled music star.
According to E! News, responding to a recent announcement that the 31-year-old 'Bloody Valentine' performer, who goes by Colson Baker in his acting work, is set to portray a troubled music star in the drama 'Good News'.
McCormick, who did not specifically mention Kelly or the film's title, appeared to take particular umbrage with the movie's title, as 'Good News' was Mac's first posthumous single from his January 2020 album, 'Circles'. He died in 2018 of an accidental drug overdose at age 26.
"f--k you. f--k your movie. at least change the title," McCormick shared to his Instagram Story on Thursday, July 1.
In response, production company Rivulet Media issued a statement to E! News on July 1 clarifying that the movie is a work of fiction and that the title, which was intended as an homage to Mac, will be changed due to the criticism.
The statement read, "Our film is about a fictional musician on the rise with a troubled life. It's not in any way a biopic or based on any artist's true life. We realize 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."
Deadline had reported on June 24 that director Tim Sutton's film, while fictional, takes inspiration from the real-life stories of such late performers as Mac, Lil Peep, Pop Smoke and Juice Wrld. Production is set to begin later this month, according to the outlet.
Kelly, whose film credits include 'Project Power' and 'Bird Box', is yet to address the controversy on his social media accounts.