The tragic suicide of Kurt Cobain back in 1994 was, whether you liked the music of Nirvana or not, a significant day in the world of music. Some may love his work, some may argue that it still has ramifications through music right now, and some won't give two hoots. But his death was a tragic story, bringing a genuine musical talent to a premature end.

Yesterday, it was announced that a biopic of Kurt Cobain was being put into production by Universal Pictures. It's going to be directed by Oren Moverman, who helmed the Oscar-nominated The Messengers, and David Benioff (Troy, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, American History X) will be providing the script (which he started back in 2007). The film is going to be loosely based around Cobain's autobiography, Heavier Than Heaven, and while there's no word on when cameras will roll, the appointment of a director tends to confirm that it won't be long.

But can I be churlish and cite a bit of a problem here? And I appreciate this harks back to the idea of complaining that the crimes on Crimewatch aren't interesting enough. But that's that biopics of musicians have a horrible habit of conforming to a very strict template. Sure, they tend to be award magnets for those concerned (heck, name us any other way Reese Witherspoon would have got an Oscar, and that's from someone who generally quite likes lots of her films), but when it comes to the narrative structure, you generally know exactly what you're going to get (and that's whether you're familiar with the subject or not).

Now granted, I do accept that you can only follow what happened in true life, and I know that I'm on not on the sturdiest ground on which I've stood. But even so, the formula is this: with the optional inclusion of a modern-day wraparound, you get the talent of a musician being noticed, you see their gradual climb to fame, and then - what's this? - fame corrupts them somehow, they abuse a few substances, they destroy what's around them, and if they're lucky, they get some kind of redemption before they die.

I know, I know. This all makes me sound a little heartless. But the problem isn't the musician, it's the steadfast and predictable way in which Hollywood tends to approach these films (even the fictional music movies). It's not that the end product tends to be bad. It's just that it tends to be presented in a straight-down-the-line narrative that tries to cram as much into a film's running time as possible.

And that, friends, is the fundamental problem here. For it doesn't have to be like this. Take a look at the love letter that Tim Burton composed to Edward D Wood Jr in the film Ed Wood. That manages to get the start, middle and (nearly the) end of Wood's story in, but in a different, interesting and ultimately very, very effective way. Contrast that with Ray, an utterly conventional film made workable by a stunning central performance from Jamie Foxx. They couldn't be much further apart.

Music biopics don't always confirm to this template, though. I'm a fan of Kevin Spacey's Bobby Darin flick, Beyond The Sea. And that's not just because it's a solid film, but also because Spacey made some interesting choices in trying to get across Darin's story. Sure, it's a movie with flaws, but it's an interesting one nonetheless, and I can't think of a more interesting music biopic in recent times (although I'm sure someone would want to champion I'm Not There, and feel free to do so).

The Cobain biopic will be a major film for Universal, and I'll happily predict now that whoever takes on the central role will win an Oscar nomination, if not an Oscar. It's that kind of movie. But I'm genuinely intrigued to see if a musician who didn't really play by the rules can now inspire a movie that's willing to take a few narrative gambles too, rather than relying on a flat three-act structure. I doubt that it will, but I live in hope. And at the least, you could argue that its subject deserves it.

In the meantime, I sit here waiting to see if Martin Scorsese really will turn his attention to Frank Sinatra. Because that's one movie, in spite of all I've said above, I'd desperately want to see...