Although still a member of Saturday Night Live, Pete Davidson is continuing his gradual shift into movie stardom by signing on to play Joey Ramone in Netflix biopic, I Slept With Joey Ramone.
Jason Orley, who previously directed Davidson in Big Time Adolescence and his stand up special Alive From New York, will helm the film.
The film is based on the memoir of the same name by Ramone’s brother, Mickey Leigh, who is also serving as an executive producer. The biopic will chronicle Ramone’s life, from his young upbringing as Jeffrey Ross Hyman from Queens, New York, to his later years as a rock revolutionary.
The Ramones helped launch the punk rock scene at the now-iconic CBGB music club in Manhattan’s East Village, and they brought punk rock over to the UK with various iconic performances. Joey was the last living co-founder of the band before he died in 2001.
Ramone is often credited as ‘The Father of Punk’, stripping the 70s rock sound down to its bare bones and reverting to the catchy guitar riffs and pumping percussion akin to Chuck Berry‘s defining sound. Combine that with the added speed of the music, and you had the foundation of the punk rock genre.
Davidson and Orley have written the screenplay together. Netflix will produce the project alongside STXfilms. Adam Fogelson, chairman of STX Motion Picture Group, said in a statement:
“When you share a bed with someone — and not just a bed, but a childhood, a family, and a lifetime — you know that person better than anybody else. Mickey Leigh not only collaborated with his big brother’s band — he has irreplaceable memories of and insights into Joey Ramone, having supported him when no one else would and witnessed him overcome adversity in the most dramatic way”.
Davidson is a great choice to play Ramone. He’s naturally got the sort of attitude a lot of actors would have to fake for a role like this, so he should be a great fit. No word yet on who will play the rest of the band.
#Peace.Love.ISleptWithJoeyRamone
