It seems that to assure legendary status, every classic rock band needs a biopic made about them at some point, and now it appears it’s the turn of The Clash. Variety reports that writer Jez Butterworth, whose credits include Birthday Girl, The Last Legion and Fair Game, has teamed up with band members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon to take on their story. And yes, it will inevitably be called London Calling.
Jones and Simonon are acting as advisers to the film, as well as executive producers, and have also granted exclusive rights to the band’s music. The movie will follow the early days of The Clash in the late 70s, and how music producer Guy Stevens helped steer the punk quartet to massive success with their hit album, London Calling, which shook the music scene with its fusion of punk, reggae, ska, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll, and is now regarded as one of the greatest records ever release.
The plan is to shoot the movie next year, although as yet no director or cast is attached. However with The Clash still being a potent name in music circles and the band members themselves involved, it shouldn’t have too much trouble attracting talent. It won’t hurt either that several documentaries about The Clash and singer Joe Strummer, such as Westway To The World and The Future Is Unwritten, have done well in recent years, showing there’s definitely interest out there.