Who Should Play Ozzy Osbourne in Biopic? Us' Top Picks

An Ozzy Osbourne biopic is moving forward following the rock legend’s death in July 2025 — and Us has thoughts on who should be cast in the iconic lead role.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” Osbourne’s family confirmed to Us Weekly in a July 22 statement. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

Production company Polygram Entertainment struck a deal with Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, to turn their marriage and the heavy metal singer’s legendary career into a feature film in 2021. Two of Ozzy and Sharon’s children, Jack and Aimee, were even attached as producers on the project despite their notoriously rocky relationship.

In light of Ozzy’s death, a spokesperson for Polygram confirmed to Variety that it was still developing the rock biopic in August 2025. A company rep teased that Polygram was “in negotiations with a director, which could be confirmed very soon.”

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As the Ozzy biopic continues development, Us looks at who might play the “Prince of Darkness” at various periods in his life:

YungBlud: Young Ozzy

Yungblud Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

The singer-songwriter forged a close bond with Ozzy after the former Black Sabbath frontman and wife Sharon appeared in the 2022 music video for YungBlud’s hit “The Funeral.”

Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison) revealed to NME that Ozzy gifted him with a diamond encrusted crucifix because he felt a kinship with the “Tissues” singer.

“He said that he saw a lot of himself in me,” he told the publication in June 2022. “He said, ‘Never apologize for anything. They will understand you later. Time always tells.'”

Following Ozzy’s death, Yungblud penned an emotional eulogy via Instagram where he dedicated all of his future live performances to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

'Prince of Darkness' Ozzy Osbourne's OMG Moments On and Off Stage

“I didn’t think you would leave so soon the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room,” he wrote. “But as it is written with legends, they seem to know the things that we don’t. I will never forget you — you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk on stage. Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own.”

He concluded, “You asked me once if there was anything you could do for me and as I said then and as I will say now for all of us the music was enough. You took us on your adventure — an adventure that started it all. I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time.”

The British artist does have some acting experience, as he starred in the Disney Channel series The Lodge prior to his music success.

Bill Hader: Older Ozzy

Bill Hader Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for CinemaCon

If the biopic tackles Ozzy’s later years, former Saturday Night Live cast member and noted impressionist, Hader, might be a frontrunner. Hader’s name was initially floated by Ozzy’s son, Jack — who is producing the movie — on “The Osbournes Podcast” in March 2024.

“You know who I want to play Dad?” Jack shared with his family. “Bill Hader. Everyone thinks I’m f***in’ crazy until I show a side-by-side picture and that guy’s ability to morph [into a character].”

Sharon agreed that Hader would be a “brilliant” choice for the role, though Ozzy himself was seemingly unconvinced by the casting suggestion.

“F*** off,” he complained when shown a photo of Hader and himself side-by-side.

Ozzy and Sharon’s daughter Kelly Osbourne wasn’t a fan of Hader playing her dad either. She suggested that the producers find an “unknown” actor for the role so there wouldn’t be any expectations for the portrayal.

Machine Gun Kelly: Young Ozzy

MGK Taylor Hill/Getty Images

MGK has all of the rock star swagger necessary for the role, plus he’s already been part of a very high-profile relationship. Maybe his on-off partner Megan Fox could play Sharon opposite MGK’s Ozzy?

The “Lonely Road” rapper carved out a side career with memorable acting performances in Bird Box, Big Time Adolescence and played a rockstar in Taurus. In August 2025, MGK revealed that he turned down a role in horror blockbuster Sinners because he refused to say “the n-word” on camera for the part.

Ewan McGregor: Older Ozzy

Ewan McGregor Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Ewan’s Trainspotting character Mark Renton a.k.a. Rent Boy might actually be able to top the level of debauchery that Ozzy experienced during his heavy metal heyday. Another point in his favor is that the Scottish actor memorably revealed on The View in 2016 that he’d once dressed up as Ozzy for Halloween.

What makes the Golden Globe winner an even stronger contender is that he dabbled in music throughout his career — including scoring a U.K. Top 10 hit with Trainspotting soundtrack song “Choose Life” — and has experience playing rock icons … sort of. The critically acclaimed 1998 musical Velvet Goldmine fictionalized David Bowie and Iggy Pop’s antics during the Glam Rock wave of the early 1970s, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ewan, respectively, playing characterizations loosely based on the two glam pioneers.

Bill Skarsgard: Young Ozzy

Bill Skarsgard John Lamparski/Getty Images

It’s tough to name a more natural choice to depict the self-proclaimed “Prince of Darkness” than the sexy vampire from Nosferatu. From playing the life-draining seducer Count Orlok to the demonic clown in the It movies, Skarsgård has the supernatural realm on lock. He also showed vulnerability while playing hapless murder victim Keith in 2022’s Barbarian.

The only impediment to the Swedish actor playing Ozzy might be his jam-packed schedule. He has the historical crime thriller Dead Man’s Wire on the way, plus the revenge epic Emperor and action-adventure movie The Death of Robin Hood on the horizon.

Tony Cavelero: Older Ozzy

Tony Cavalero Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Cavalero has the most relevant experience of any of the biopic candidates, since he already played Ozzy in Netflix’s Motley Crüe movie, The Dirt. One memorable scene with Cavalero was ripped directly from the pages of the band’s autobiography The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band, where Ozzy allegedly encouraged the members of Motley Crüe to know the limits of their partying before snorting a line of ants off the ground.

Aside from The Dirt, Cavalero taught a generation of young Nickelodeon viewers about music fundamentals on the School of Rock TV show and played reformed Satanist-turned-evangelist Keefe Chambers on HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.

Caleb Landry Jones: Young Ozzy

Caleb Landry Jones Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

The Get Out breakout star became Hollywood’s go-to young actor for playing bad boys thanks to his twisted performances in Breaking Bad and Twin Peaks: The Return. Like Skarsgård, Landry Jones delved into the occult by landing the title role in the upcoming gothic horror movie Dracula: A Love Tale.

Landry Jones has a passing facial resemblance to a young Ozzy — it’s possible to picture him biting the head off a bat or snorting a line of ants. (And, yes, Ozzy supposedly did both of those things!)

Johnny Depp: Older Ozzy

Johnny Depp Franco Origlia/Getty Images

The three-time Oscar nominee has hung out with many of Ozzy’s rock contemporaries as one-third of the Hollywood Vampires supergroup, alongside rock god Alice Cooper and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. (The band took its name from a social club that Cooper formed in the 1970s with Ringo Starr, The Who drummer Keith Moon, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees and singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson.)

Depp took part in a tribute following Ozzy’s death, when he joined Cooper on stage at The O2 Arena in London in July 2025 to cover the classic Black Sabbath track “Paranoid.” The Ozzy biopic could be the Hollywood comeback vehicle that Depp has been looking for.