JoanJett Tagged Articles at Cinematical

It looks like things are getting more interesting each day when it comes to the music biopic The Runaways -- and I'm not talking about Joan Jett making Kristen Stewart cry. No, instead, there is news that Alia Shawkat (who will forever be known as Maeby Fünke) is joining the cast as famed bassist and 'Bangle' Micki Steele ... or at the very least an approximation of Steele. Latino Review is reporting that Shawkat has joined the cast as an 18-year-old bass player named Robin (aka Steele), and judging by the photo above, you have to admit that Shawkat would be a great choice to play the sexy bassist. I mean, just look at those lips.

Rather than get into a long and convoluted explanation about the awesomeness that is Steele, here is a little primer: Steele was one of the first members of The Runaways when they were touring the club circuit in L.A. and was considered the 'feminine' one in a group of bad girls. By 1976 she had left the band after the addition of Lita Ford (played in the film by Scout Taylor-Compton) and Cherie Currie (played by Dakota Fanning). Steele would go on to join another famous girl band, The Bangles, and create music history by teaching the world about 'Manic Mondays'.

There has been no word on why Steele isn't going to be named in the film; possibly because the film makers didn't secure the rights to use her image, or maybe her split from The Runaways wasn't an amicable one. My guess is that the character of Robin will be based on Steele, but also be an amalgam of some of the other band members that won't be featured prominently in the film.

The Runaways is still filming on location in L.A., but will arrive in theaters in 2010.

It was only a matter of time. The Runaways are in place, production on the film is gearing up, and try as she might, Kristin Stewart wasn't able to keep her Joan Jett 'do under wraps; E Online caught a full glimpse of the new look. Why am I writing about a hairdo? Well, if there was one initial clue to discern how this Runaways pic would turn out, it's how each of the cast members look -- especially Stewart's Jett. And it's not bad. I can't go with good or great, because by this image (right), it looks more like a modern hack-job than a '70s mullet. But it's decent. At the very least, I doubt anyone will be thinking of Bella when Stewart grabs her guitar and hits the stage.

In a much less rockin' vein of news, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Brittany Murphy has signed onto a psychological thriller called Something Wicked -- no relation to that Wicked musical. We can't quite tell you what the premise is, because there are two competing summaries. THR says the flick is about a teen and his girlfriend (who is out of his league) whose lives become chaotic when her parents are killed. IMDb, on the other hand, says it's about a young couple prepping for marriage when gruesome secrets resurface. Either way, it looks like Murphy has but a supporting gig.

I guess the mediocre films have finally caught up with her, leading her away from the romcoms (at least that's a plus) and into B thrillers. But maybe The Expendables will help -- unless she gets outshone by Charisma Carpenter. Hmm... Is this the end of Murphy?

Well look who's all grown up. It seems like just yesterday that little Dakota Fanning was winning the world over as precocious little girl, and then horrifying us as a tween rape victim. But now she just might be one of the biggest icons in girl-power history. Variety reports that Fanning is currently in negotiations to star in The Runaways, the story of the all-girl proto-punk band of the same name. Fanning is in talks to play Runaway's lead singer, Cherie Currie, alongside Kristen Stewart (as Joan Jett). But that's not all, because at the bottom of the same notice, Variety also confirmed that the gal is booked for the Twilight sequel, New Moon later this year, with Fanning at her blood-thirsty best.

But back to Runaways, because lord knows there will be plenty of time to dissect New Moon between now and November, 2009. Cherie Currie was a 15-year-old (the same age as Fanning) dynamo who made her musical debut with the Runaways, and despite her young age was known for her rough and ready singing style. After leaving the group, she recorded some solo albums and even tried her hand at acting, but like so many before her, Currie became caught up in drugs and a hard-partying lifestyle -- but luckily for her, she managed to sort herself out before becoming another punk casualty. Her book, Neon Angel: The Cherie Currie Story, served as the source material for the film and was adapted by The Runaways director, Floria Sigismondi.

The Runaways is scheduled to start production this spring, and New Moon was rumored to start shooting this month. So I hope that Stewart and Fanning get along, because it looks like the two are going to be spending an awful lot of time together in the near future.

Twilight!

Okay, now that that's out of the way, we have some very good news for you Kristen Stewart fans out there. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Stewart has signed to play rocker Joan Jett in a new flick called The Runaways. The film will follow Jett and bandmate Cherie Currie from their "meteoric rise as teenagers to their dissolution and disillusionment." The Runaways, of course, was the name of the very successful and influential all-girl band from the '70s, which included Jett, Currie, Lita Ford, Sandy West and Jackie Fox. They lasted about four years together before Jett went off and continued to rock out with the Blackhearts in the '80s (I Love Rock N' Roll, anyone?), and still continues to do her thing till this day (I actually saw her open for another band a couple years ago at Madison Square Garden).

Not only will this flick include a nice refreshing story about female rockers (for once), as well as some great music, but it will also give us a chance to see Stewart really let her hair down. My one criticism of Stewart over the past couple years is that she's, well, a little boring to watch on screen -- always playing the confused, distant and awkward teen. I've been dying to see her break rock out of her shell and get down with her bad self. Really looking forward to this one.

The Runaways is looking to begin production early next year and will work around Stewart's commitment to star in the Twilight sequel, New Moon, (phew!) which will also begin shooting in early 2009.

If she never did anything else, I don't think many of us could ever forget Joan Jett after her cover of The Arrows song, I Love Rock 'n' Roll. Well, except for Britney Spears, who once attributed the song, which she covered for Crossroads, to Pat Benatar. (She says it was sarcasm, but c'mon Britney, we know the truth!) While Jett has been doing guest-appearances with other bands and producing music, she's also been lining up the film work. She's already scored herself a role in Multiple Sarcasms, and now she's signed on for an indie teen comedy called Endless Bummer. The rest of the cast boasts: Khan Chittenden, Andy Fischer-Price, Colton James, Jane Leeves, Ray Santiago, Allison Scagliotti and Caitlin Wachs.

The movie, which will begin production soon, is based on some real-life experiences of screenwriter John 'J.D.' Drury. Simply enough, the flick is set in 1984 and deals with the theft of a surfboard from a Ventura beach, and how the owner and his friends drive to the San Fernando Valley to get it back. It might seem like a simply dumb premise, but considering what others have made from simplicity (Dazed and Confused), this could go either way. Directed by Sam Pillsbury, Bummer is going to have close ties to Vans Warped Tour, including covers by Vans performers and a connection in the marketing and promotion of the movie.