The movie will be an adaptation of the book, 'I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution'
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NEED TO KNOW
- A new feature film will chronicle the rise of MTV
- Deadline reports that Neon has secured the rights to the project, an adaptation of the book I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum
- Per Deadline, the film will follow “MTV’s inception and early years”
A new feature film chronicling the rise of MTV is officially in the works, Deadline reports.
Neon has secured the rights to the project, an adaptation of the book I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum.
The film will be directed by Geremy Jasper and, like the book, will follow "MTV's inception and early years through the lens of the visionaries who knew that the future of entertainment was merging music and television," the outlet reports.
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The film will be set in the early 1980s and comes amid a rapidly changing media landscape, with MTV recently shutting down its last remaining music-only channels.
The film aims to capture a pivotal moment in pop culture history, when MTV transformed from an experimental cable channel into a defining force in music, youth culture and television.
Launched in 1981, MTV helped usher in the era of the music video, turning artists into visual icons and reshaping how audiences consumed music. The network's early years were marked by rapid innovation, creative risks and a distinct blend of music, style and attitude that defined the decade.
Casting for the film remains underway, per Deadline.
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Jasper, who will helm the project, has a personal connection to the subject matter and spoke about what drew him to the adaptation, telling the outlet: “I was part of the first generation raised on MTV — it was my radio and film school in one."
"Jim and I both worked there between the '90s to early 2000s, and it is even where I met my wife, Georgie," Jasper added. "So, I was instantly hooked on Rob and Craig's book, which is an insane, hilarious, inspiring ride through ‘80s ambition, excess, and rock 'n' roll rebellion. I am grateful they trusted us to adapt it. And there's no better partner than Neon as they've got the same fearless, visionary energy that made MTV a pop culture force."
MTV first launched in the United States on Aug. 1, 1981. The first video that aired was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles — which was also the final clip that MTV Music played on December 31, 2025, when the network shut down several music-only channels, ending decades of 24-hour music broadcasting.
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