Pete Davidson announced he'll be playing Joey Ramone in an upcoming Netflix biopic almost two years ago, and now the film may never see the light of day.
Based on the memoir, I Slept with Joey Ramone, written by Joey's brother Mickey Leigh (Mitchel Hyman), the biopic has hit a snag thanks to a legal challenge by the widow of guitarist Johnny Ramone.
Linda Ramone has filed a lawsuit claiming Leigh “covertly developed an unapproved and unauthorized Ramones-based biopic” using a “one-sided recitation of the history of the Ramones.”
Both Linda and Leigh split the ownership for the intellectual property of the legendary NYC punk band, which leaves the film in limbo without Linda's consent.
In a statement, Linda's attorneys argue that “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.”
Linda also claims that Leigh and David Frey, a director of the Ramones’ holding company, have withheld royalty payments from her and “effectively shut down the entire company.”
This is just another disagreement between the two parties who have fought for years over the use of the Ramones name.
The animosity between the two parties mirrors that of the long-time feud between the late Ramones members. Joey and Johnny had a long history of hostility, ironically caused by Linda herself - who originally dated Joey before leaving him and marrying Johnny.
Directed by Jason Orley (Big Time Adolescence) the film version of I Slept with Joey Ramone was expected to be in the early stages of development at the beginning of 2024, however, no status update has been given.