New Armani Movie Faces Huge Controversy Almost Immediately After Being Announced
Bille August’s upcoming biopic about the late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani is facing an ethical roadblock. The film is titled Armani: The King of Fashion and will be produced by Andrea Iervolino, as announced yesterday. Armani passed away in September 2025.
What is the controversy with the recently announced Armani movie?
The Armani family has issued a statement saying they’re not involved with the movie, nor have they authorized its existence (via Deadline).
The Armani Group said in a statement, “While aware of the existence of Andrea Iervolino & Bille August’s project, Armani: The King of Fashion, the Armani Group has never been involved in the initiative, nor has it authorized, supported, endorsed, or participated in its development or production. The company therefore considers itself entirely unrelated to the project and dissociates itself from both the director and the content of the project.”
While the Armani Group is distancing itself from the film, it won’t be the first time that a Hollywood biopic has been made without the explicit permission of its subject’s estate. The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, was publicly blasted by the U.S. President. Similarly, 2022’s Pam & Tommy, centered on Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, was made without consulting its subjects.
The coming months will see the release of The Social Reckoning, which, along with its spiritual predecessor The Social Network, was made without securing permission from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Similar to the upcoming Armani biopic, Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci was also made without the Gucci family’s cooperation.
It remains to be seen whether the Armani Group’s stance will stop the biopic from entering production or securing a release. The film is being written by Bobby Moresco, who previously wrote Lamborghini: The Legend, Crash, and more.
Armani: The King of Fashion currently doesn’t have a release date.
Source: Comingsoon.net