A new Ramones biopic, written by Pete Davidson, caused Johnny Ramone’s widow to start a legal battle.
In the lawsuit, Linda Ramone alleged that Joey’s brother, Mickey Leigh, ‘secretly worked on an unapproved and unauthorized Ramones-based biopic,’ namely the upcoming Netflix biopic ‘I Slept With Joey Ramone,’ based on his own ‘biased retelling of the Ramones’ history.’
Linda’s lawsuit encompasses a range of other accusations against Leigh and David Frey, a director of the Ramones’ holding company appointed by Leigh. Linda contended that the duo has ‘effectively halted the entire company,’ unfairly withheld payments to her, and disrupted the overall operations of the company.
“Ms. Ramone objects to defendants’ attempt to create a Ramones film without her involvement — not to be obstinate, but rather based on defendants’ disregard for [Ramones] assets and their conduct and treatment of Ms. Ramone and her late husband. To permit defendants alone to tell the authoritative story of the Ramones would be an injustice to the band and its legacy.”
Netflix has indicated that the movie would be created with ‘the cooperation and support of the Estate of Joey Ramone.’ However, in her lawsuit, Linda asserted that such a project requires approval from Ramones Productions, not solely Joey’s estate.
Linda’s legal representatives claim that Leigh and Frey have communicated their intention to ‘bypass’ any objections she may raise regarding the movie, even considering the possibility of re-recording Ramones songs for potential use in the film. Linda asserted that, by doing so, they aim to present an ‘authoritative story’ of the band unfairly.
What The Biopic Will Include
Pete Davidson has been chosen to play Joey Ramone in the upcoming biopic. The announcement of the film, which pays tribute to the lead singer of the influential New York punk band The Ramones, was made on April 15, 2021, which marked the 20th anniversary of Ramone’s passing at the age of 49 after a seven-year battle with lymphoma.
The film is a collaboration between Netflix and STXfilms, with Davidson and director Jason Orley (known for Big Time Adolescence) developing and producing the project. The screenplay is based on a treatment written by Davidson and Orley, drawing inspiration from the 2010 memoir of the same title by Ramone’s brother, Mickey Leigh.
The movie, developed in collaboration with Ramone’s estate, is set to have executive producers including Davidson, Leigh, David Spiegelman, and Rory Rosegarten.
