Pete Davidson is gearing up to portray punk rock pioneer Joey Ramone in the upcoming biopic “I Slept With Joey Ramone” for Netflix and STXfilms.
The announcement comes on the 20th anniversary of Ramone’s death. The biopic will chronicle the life and times of the legendary musician — born Jeffrey Ross Hyman in 1951 — who cofounded the group in Queens, New York in 1974 and went on to change the sound of rock music by stripping it down to Chuck Berry-level basics (but played twice as fast). The Ramones were arguably the first true punk rock band, and not only helped launch the scene around the downtown venue CBGB but ignited the British punk scene with performances in the U.K. in 1976. The group disbanded in 1996, but their popularity and influence is vast and undeniable.
Joey died from lymphoma in 2001; the other three founding members of the group, Johnny (John Cummings), Dee Dee (Douglas Colvin) and Tommy Ramone (Tom Erdelyi) also have passed away.
“I Slept With Joey Ramone” comes with the blessing from Joey Ramone’s estate. The film is based on the memoir of the same name, written by his brother Mickey Leigh. Leigh will serve as an executive producer.
“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,” said Adam Fogelson, the chairman of STXfilms Motion Picture Group. “‘I Slept with Joey Ramone’ is a great rock anthem that will make an equally great rock biopic, set apart by a universal story of family.”
The movie reunites Davidson with director Jason Orley, who helmed the 2019 coming-of-age comedy “Big Time Adolescence” and the comedian’s latest stand-up special “Pete Davidson: Alive From New York.” Davidson is also adapting the script with Orley.
Along with Leigh, Davidson will executive produce the film with David Spiegelman and Rory Rosegarten (“Everybody Loves Raymond”).
Netflix previously collaborated with STX on the series “Rise of Empire: Ottomon,” as well as the film “Work It” starring Sabrina Carpenter.
Additional reporting by Jem Aswad.
