There was a time not too long ago when Martin Scorsese was thought of as a critic’s darling, not a crowd-pleaser. However, since The Aviator hit the $100 million mark in 2005, three of his other DiCaprio films (The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street) crossed that box office threshold. More popular than ever, the 71-year-old can make the sorts of pictures he wants. While he is about to start filming his long-brewing Silence and premiere his documentary The 50-Year Argument at the Toronto Film Festival, word is out that the master director is now attached to make a film about the legendary punk group The Ramones.
The rockers’ various estates are now in a deal to give archival material to creative sources, including Scorsese, says Jeff Jampol, who co-manages the band’s estate. “Everybody [from the families] is cooperation and moving in one direction together as a team,” Jampol told Billboard. Scorsese has not yet confirmed his involvement.
The Ramones were originally comprised of lead singer Joey, drummer Tommy, guitarist Johnny and bassist Dee Dee. Tommy died earlier this year, making him the last of the founding quarter to pass away. The group, which influenced rock music for the better, were from Queens and made music not far from Scorsese’s stomping grounds when he was growing as a filmmaker in the 1970s. The punk rockers are best known for their short, high-tempo, fast-paced rock songs, including singles “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.”
The film is aimed to hit theaters in 2016, to mark the 40th anniversary of the group’s first album. The year will also see the release of remastered discs, a play, a book about the groups’s early years, and a documentary about them. (To be clear: Scorsese’s film will not be a documentary, but a biopic.) However, the director likely will not get started on the film until 2015, after he finishes with his passion project, Silence, starring Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson and Ken Watanabe.
We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.
