An authorised documentary about the life of late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence is in the works at the same time that a Sydney businessman is putting together his own doco chronicling the last years of the singer’s life.

As Tone Deaf previously reported, X Studio owner Ron Creevey is currently working on a documentary which will be accompanied with a collection of never before heard solo Hutchence recordings.

Creevey has come under fire from INXS’s manager, Chris Murphy, who threatened to sue anyone releasing material under the INXS name and telling the AAP that Creevey could find himself in “very deep legal trouble”.

As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, the authorised feature-length doco will be helmed by John Battsek, who produced the acclaimed documentary Searching for Sugar Man, and director Richard Lowenstein.

“I have been working on the definitive documentary film journey into the heart and soul of this complex, shy, poetic and exceptionally charismatic man for many years,” Lowenstein, who worked on several INXS music video, told Billboard.

The documentary is set to be released towards the end of 2017 and will come via Passion Pictures and Universal Music Group, the latter of whom co-produced the acclaimed, Oscar-winning 2015 Amy Winehouse documentary Amy.

“Michael Hutchence was a musical genius who led one of the world’s biggest bands to global stardom, only to succumb to a tragic end,” said Universal Music Group Head of Development David Blackman.

“We have assembled an incredible team that is committed to telling Michael’s story and providing the world with a portrait of a man who left behind an enduring musical and cultural legacy.”

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