So they’re filming a biopic about Jimi Hendrix down in Dun Laoghaire soon…

There’s been a lot of films about the late and the great Jimi Hendrix over the years, but none of them have been made in Ireland…until now that is.

Yes, Ireland will play host to a big budget biopic about the guitarist’s life and his dizzying rise to fame in the swinging sixties.

The Irish Times reports that both Bray and Dun Laoghaire will be transformed into London in the 1960s over the coming weeks as filming on the biopic begins.

Clearly they’re trying to save some money by turning bits of Ireland into the UK, but hey, we don’t mind. At least they’ll be bringing money and some jobs into the country. See Enda? We care about austerity. Really.

Anyway, Bray and Dun Laoghaire will play the backdrop to the film, which is entitled All Is By My Side and the shoot is expected to last for at least six weeks.

Filming will occur at the Bray Head Hotel, various nightclubs around Dun Laoghaire, the John Player cigarette factory on the South Circular Road and a few other locations around South Dublin, so you’re bound to catch a glimpse of something going down while you’re casually going about your business (or stalking the film crew, either or…)

But now, the burning question – who is going to be playing the part of Jimi?

No, they’re not going to do a Tupac at Coachella kind of dealio where they resurrect the musician via the wonders of holographic technology. Jimi Hendrix will be played by Andre 3000, of Outkast fame.

If you squint your eyes, you can sort of see the resemblance. Sort of. Maybe if you tilt your head to the side as well…

The biopic was written and will be directed by John Ridley, the man who brought films such as Three Kings and U-Turn into our lives. And as well as starring Andre 3000, a host of Irish film people will be actively involved with getting this show on the road.

Right now the Hendrix movie is in pre-production down in Wicklow at Ardmore Studios and it’s all very hush-hush, but according to reports, the full promotional details of All Is By My Side will be revealed at the upcoming Cannes film festival.