

The Hollywood Reporter has come out with an update on the long gestating biopic on the 80’s rock band Motley Crue, based on their New York Times Bestselling Book, The Dirt. They state that the project, originally started at Paramount Pictures, has found a new home at Netflix. Jeff Tremaine, director of the Jackass movies, is slated to direct. The band will be producers for the film.
Love them or hate them, Motley Crue have an interesting story to tell. From opening the book with an act that I cannot describe here apart from stating that Tommy Lee would need an umbrella, to details of the time Vince Neil was involved in a car accident that killed the passenger in the car with him, to Tommy Lee’s home movies, and the break up and reunion of the band, if the movie finds a way to capture the essence of the book, it’s going to be an entertaining two hours.
What with Straight Outta Compton being a hit with audiences and a Tupac Shakur biopic soon to hit theaters, All Eyez On Me, Hollywood is gearing up to release the stories of the biggest musical acts of the 80’s and 90’s. While I won’t proclaim to be the biggest fan of Motley Crue, with songs like Live Wire, Looks That Kill, Dr. Feelgood, Kickstart My Heart, and others, movies like this are perfect ways for bands to potentially introduce audiences to their music with a killer soundtrack.
What the movie won’t explore is the fact that bands like Motley Crue were part of what became the downfall of rock music as we know it. They were one of the first bands to embrace MTV, creating videos that were more than just them on stage. Once they hit it big, they changed their sound from fast, loud, dirty metal to more homogonized rock that would get them played in the heartland of the country. Nirvana in the 90’s made it big because they were the antithesis of what Motley Crue represented. Once the music industry got their hands back on the rock and roll steering wheel, things were never the same. That’s not to say there aren’t great bands out there. But we can thank Motley Crue for bands like Nickelback being around today.
So what do you think? Are you excited to see The Dirt finally go into production? Do you think the movie will gloss over some of the rough material the book covers? Would you buy the soundtrack to the film? Let us know in the comments section below.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter