This writer went to university for four years in Manchester, England and, as such, is still physically unable to listen to one of the seminal bands from the city, The Stone Roses. Despite only recording two albums, one of which is rubbish, the band seemingly soundtrack every bar, club and restaurant in the city, and, even as a one time fan of the band, if we go the rest of our lives without ever hearing “I Am The Resurrection” again, we’ll be delighted.
But that’s not to say that the band didn’t have a major culture influence — their dance-inflected brand of indie rock coincided with the arrival of Ecstasy on British shores, and their self-titled debut album became the soundtrack to the so-called Second Summer of Love. Now, news comes, via Screen Daily, that a coming-of-age film is being set around the band’s most famous concert, and that one of the hottest young British directing prospects has been hired to helm the project.
The untitled film, which is being backed by Revolver Entertainment, follows a group of council estate kids, and a rising indie band, travelling to the band’s legendary gig on Spike Island, Cheshire, where 27,000 people gathered to see the Roses in May 1990. The script comes from actor-turned-writer Chris Coghill, and produced by Esther Douglas and Fiona Neilson of Fiesta Productions (“Life & Lyrics“). Most excitingly, Tom Green, unrelated to the “Freddy Got Fingered” star, will make his feature debut on the project.
Green broke through with his superb National Film and Television School short “Brixton ’85,” and has since become a regular director on the cult British superhero series “Misfits,” along with “The Scouting Book For Boys” director Tom Harper. He’s a hugely talented helmer, and we’re expecting something a cut above the rest from this as a result. Green gave a statement on the project, saying that “This is a raw and truly authentic rites of passage story. It’s full of the humour, heartache, dreams and fears of being part of a brotherhood of mates, and set to the greatest record ever written. The Roses died in ’95. This is the resurrection.”
The film has full rights to the band’s music, and there may be “the odd cameo” from members (frontman Ian Brown previously had an inexplicable appearance in Alfonso Cuaron‘s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban“), and filming is set to begin in the first half of this year, for a release some time in 2012. Hopefully it’ll turn out more “This Is England” than “Taking Woodstock.” In the meantime, watch some of the excellent “Brixton 85” below.