It's Official: Reeve Carney Will Star In Official Jeff Buckley Biopic

Move over, Penn Badgley. Actor-musician Reeve Carney has been cast to play Jeff Buckley in a biopic of the late musician's life. While Badgley landed the coveted role of Buckley in rival film, Greetings From Tim Buckley, the project starring Carney offers a more intimate view of the artist's life, up until the star's fatal drowning in 1997.

Welcome To The Rileys director Jake Scott is in charge of the untitled Buckley film and is teaming up with writer Ryan Jaffe to execute the project. Unlike Greetings, which chronicles Buckley's performance at his father Tim Buckley's memorial concert, this one is the official biopic of the critically acclaimed musician's life. It doesn't hurt that Buckley's own mother, Mary Guibert is the film's executive director and has granted exclusive rights to her late son's music, journals and photographs. This is the only Buckley project that Guibert has placed her weight behind, and she says Carney is the perfect fit.

"We are over the moon that Reeve has agreed to take on this challenging role," Guibert said in a press release. "I've seen him perform several times … he's been getting ready for this all his life. It certainly doesn't hurt that he looks so much like Jeff."

Carney's musical background helps too. The frontman for his namesake band will be doing his own singing for the film. “We are excited to have found in Reeve the perfect combination of musical prodigy, impish charm, innate intelligence & sensitivity to play Jeff," Scott said in a press release.

Producers are still casting for the movie, which is set to begin filming in New York City and Tennessee this November. That doesn't put an end to rival Jeff Buckley films, though. There is a third film in the works based on Jeff Apter's novel, A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley, according to reports from The Los Angeles Times. And so, the Buckley biopic saga continues.