Liza Minnelli Does Not ‘Approve Nor Sanction’ Upcoming Judy Garland Biopic


Liza Minnelli, the eldest daughter of famed actor Judy Garland, wants to set the record straight in reference to the biopic being made of the last years of her mother’s life. The film called Judy is not sanctioned by Minnelli, and she denies that she was ever supportive of this particular project.

Town & Country says that Liza wants it known that she has nothing to do with the Zellweger film, and has never met the actress, despite reports that the two were “bonding.”

“I have never met nor spoken to Renée Zellweger. I don’t know how these stories get started, but I do not approve nor sanction the upcoming film about Judy Garland in any way. Any reports to the contrary are 100% fiction.”

Particularly offensive to Liza is the fact that the film is centered on the last years of Garland’s life when she was in poor health and reportedly abusing drugs. Judy Garland died at age 47 in London of an overdose of barbiturates. The screenplay for Judy was written by Tom Edge, who is involved with the writing of the Netflix series, The Crown, about the early life of Queen Elizabeth.

Of particular interest to the filmmakers was the winter of 1968 when Garland was touring in London, according to Variety.

“As the concerts get underway the star of stage and screen is 47 and exhausted, fragile, and wanting to be at home with her kids, casting into doubt whether the shows, at the Talk of the Town nightclub, can go on.”

The concerts had all sold out, but due to ill health and supposed drug dependency, Garland was struggling. She was found dead in her home in June of 1969.

The Wrap is reporting that Minnelli issued the statement after reading on the website Radar Online that she had been bonding with Renee Zellweger, who was playing her mother in a movie about the life of Garland. After Liza objected and released the statement, the article was taken down.

The film also shows the courtship of Judy Garland and her fifth husband, Mickey Deans, the man who found her unresponsive after her alleged intentional overdose. The screenplay is based on the play, End of the Rainbow, by Peter Quilter.

No film about the life of Judy Garland would be complete without music, and the film is said to include many of Garland’s best-known songs. It’s unclear if Renee Zellweger will actually be singing the songs of Judy Garland in the movie.

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