Watch The Trailer For Michael Hutchence Documentary Mystify
22 years after his death, there’s still plenty of fascination around Michael Hutchence, the late frontman of Australian funk-rock stars INXS. INXS tracks remain in radio and soundtrack-placement circulation, and a 2014 Australian TV documentary about the band did ridiculous ratings in their homeland. I have to imagine that the main reason we haven’t yet seen a Bohemian Rhapsody-style Michael Hutchence biopic is that there just aren’t any actors sexy enough to play Hutchence. (There was one in development back in 2006, long enough ago that Scott suggested Heath Ledger as the lead. Would’ve been good!) But we’re about to get another INXS documentary, and this one will specifically focus on Hutchence.
The Australian filmmaker Richard Lowenstein directed Mystify Michael Hutchence, the new doc about Hutchence’s life. Lowenstein and Hutchence have quite a history together. Lowenstein directed all of INXS’ major videos, and Hutchence played the lead in Lowenstein’s first feature film, the 1986 movie Dogs In Space. The film includes a ton of archival footage of Hutchence, and it also features interviews with famous Hutchence friends and lovers like Kylie Minogue. And there’s also a soundtrack album, assembled by INXS manager Chris M. Murphy and featuring some rarities from the band.
Judging by the movie’s brand-new trailer, Mystify Michael Hutchence will lean hard into Hutchence’s sexiness, which is probably smart. And it’ll do that old rock-biopic thing of talking about how shy Hutchence was and how he wasn’t ready for fame. Check it out below.
Mystify Michael Hutchence opens 7/4 in Australia. The soundtrack album is out 7/5 on Petrol Records.