I Slept With Joey Ramone has found its lead.
Actor and comedian Pete Davidson will portray the Ramones member in the upcoming Netflix biopic about Joey Ramone — real name Jeffrey Hyman — as announced on Thursday (April 15).
The announcement doesn't come by accident as today marks the 20th-anniversary of the punk rock icon's death following a seven-year battle with lymphoma. The music legend started the punk rock band in 1974 in Queens, New York, and took on the moniker thanks to Paul McCartney's former stage name "Paul Ramon."
“Pete is perfect for this role and we’re excited he and Jason will be bringing this icon of rock to life and thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends at Netflix,” Adam Fogelson, Chairman STXfilms Motion Picture said in a statement.
Davidson previously played music exec. Tom Zutaut in the Mötley Crüe biopic The Dirt.
The latest rock icon biopic is based on a memoir by the same name written by Ramone's brother, Mickey Leigh. According to Deadline, the Netflix project has the support of Ramone's estate.
“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,” Fogelson said. “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 a family.”
The Ramones disbanded in 1996 after 22 years as a band and played a final farewell show in LA.
While we wait for an official release date, check out some classic Ramones flicks including Rock ’N’ Roll High School, End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones, and Hey! Is Dee Dee Home?.
Photos: Getty Images