From The Wrap’s William Hurt to Play Gregg Allman in Biopic ‘Midnight Riderâ€:

Oscar winner William Hurt has been cast as Gregg Allman in the biopic “Midnight Rider,” which is being produced by Randall Miller and Jody Savin of Unclaimed Freight Productions.

All-American Rejects singer/songwriter Tyson Ritter will play young Gregg Allman, while Hurt will portray the singer in present day. Wyatt Russell (“22 Jump Street”) co-stars as Duane Allman.

Also Read: William Hurtâ€s Journey to Portland Stage

“I am a tremendous fan of Williamâ€s work. I canâ€t wait to work with him,” said Miller, who will direct from a script he co-wrote with Savin.

William Hurt has had an incredible career and has remained busy for decades, but he’s never matched — who could? — the string of amazing films from 1983 to 1987: Body Heat, The Big Chill, Gorky Park, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Children of a Lesser God, and Broadcast News. I mean, wow.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Midnight Rider will begin filming in Savannah at Meddin Studios in February.

That should be another nice boost for filmmaking in Savannah.

Here’s “Just Another Rider” recorded at Elevated Basement here in Savannah:

A friend who attended wasn’t even quite sure who was behind the event, but at least one key player from Meddin Studios, where much of the film was shot, was prominently greeting guests.

“I really liked it,” reported a friend who saw the film, while also acknowledging that it’s possible he/she was being overly generous since he/she had been one of the select few who got invited to the screening. This friend was impressed by the work of Alan Rickman, but said no when I asked if, as CBGB owner Hilly Kristal, the character was “interesting and compelling.”

Some of us had been concerned that the plot would focus too much on Hilly’s daughter Lisa, played in the film by Ashley Greene, but my friend said that the family dynamics did not get in the way of the main story about the founding and early years of the iconic club. My friend was impressed with the music and all the songs that the filmmakers secured rights, as well as with the performances of some of the big names attached to the project, including Rupert Grint as The Dead Boys’ Cheetah Chrome and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins as Iggy Pop.

My source in attendance did note the stark difference every time the shooting location shifted from Savannah to New York City. Now, this is someone who knows Savannah really well, and it’s common knowledge that the filmmakers did not make extreme changes to the streetscapes that were used. I will likely have the same problem when I see the film. Will an unbiased viewer buy into the illusion, even if just for two hours, that the action is really taking place in NYC decades ago?

CBGB has a really active Facebook page these days, filled with photos and interesting updates, including this pic (presented here through the ethically dubious process of the WordPress embed plugin, if it’s working today):

There’s also this funny clip with Justin Bartha on Conan talking about his full body waxing.

Of course, I’ve done zillions of posts here at Savannah Unplugged about the film.

I also posted a fair number of pics from the outdoor sets last summer. I have more shots, actually, that I’m holding off on until nearer the theatrical release date, which is yet to be determined.

Click here for CBGB on IMDB.

UPDATE: There has been some suggestion that a key reason for the screening was to court potential investors in the Gregg Allman biopic that the filmmakers are planning.

Here’s one of the galleries of photos from the CBGB set that I posted last year:

I had a good time talking to this guy.

We’ve had a great 2012 for filmmaking here in Savannah — highlights include last summer’s shooting of CBGB — starring Rupert Grint and Alan Rickman, among others — and now the Joel David Moore-directed Killing Winston Jones, starring Richard Dreyfus, Danny Glover, and others.

The CNN piece touches upon a number of key elements fueling such developments: the all-important state tax credits for film productions, the presence of a talented crews available to work as freelancers on short-term projects, and the state’s diverse geography.

There are promising signs for Savannah, too, in the recently announced move of Meddin Studios to a larger space closer to downtown — the old Citi Trends space just west of MLK.

Now there’s this commentary by Jenni Miller at Film.com: Will the CBGBâ€s Biopic Actually Work? A New Yorker Breaks It Down

The piece has the predictable angst about CBGB being filmed primarily in Savannah rather than in New York. That’s in keeping with a number of other articles, none of which seem fully in touch with the illusions of film . . .

But anyway, from the piece:

Kristalâ€s daughter Lisa Kristal Burgman is also one of the producers, and since sheâ€s also the controller of his estate, writers Miller and Savin will probably have a great insight into the time, as well as access to the people portrayed in the film.

On the other hand, building an indoor set in Savannah, GA, that uses the actual bar and toilets from the club will definitely not curry favor with people who actually used those toilets back in the day. Perhaps itâ€s not that important where the indoor set will be built — obviously, financial concerns play a big part in this — but it undercuts the attempts at authenticity that the movie seems to be reaching for. At least they could have shot it in Brooklyn or Queens.

Stiv Bators and Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys in live footage from CBGB in 1977.

From Hollywood Reporter:

The upcoming rock ‘n’ roll film CBGB has added several cast members, including Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who will play rock icon Iggy Pop; The Big Bang Theory’s Johnny Galecki as music manager Terry Ork and The Borgias actress Mickey Sumner as Patti Smith. [. . .]

Also joining the cast are Steven Schub (Chicago 8) as Dee Dee Ramone; Evan Alex Cole (Sheâ€s Outta My League) as Richard Hell; Peter Vack (I Just Want My Pants Back) as Legs McNeil; and Kerry Bische (Red State) as Mary Harron.

Mickey Sumner

I’m also excited to report that a couple of young actors that I know have landed parts in the production.

Now, who’s Mickey Sumner and why is she playing Patti Smith (whose new album Banga will be released this week)?

She was in Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman in 2008, but I’ve never even heard of that.

She’s played Francesca in Neil Jordan’s series The Borgias with Jeremy Irons, but I’ve never seen that either.

And Mickey Sumner is Sting’s daughter, apparently. And I didn’t know that either.

OPEN CASTING CALL FOR EXTRAS:
TUESDAY, JUNE 12TH, 11AM-8PM
MEDDIN STUDIOS
2315 LOUISVILLE ROAD
SAVANNAH, GA
——

CURRENTLY SEEKING AS EXTRAS:
MUSIC LOVERS, MUSICIANS, MOTORCYCLISTS,

70′s CAR OWNERS & PEOPLE WITH 70′S “LOOK”

The email application process seems pretty straightforward and includes some confirmation of dates. Extras will be needed in the June 25th to July 25th window.

Meddin Studios is just a couple of miles west of downtown Savannah (Liberty Street turns into Louisville at MLK).

Here’s one of the first things that popped up when I searched for images of the 70s “look”, but I kind of doubt this is what they’re looking for:

Click here for info on the stars (including Rupert Grint and Alan Rickman).

Click here for some thoughts and vintage videos of the challenges in recreating the CBGB era.

We know a lot of the rest of the cast too, primarily thanks to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sana Katic of “Castle” will play Genya Ravan, a producer and singer for Goldie & the Gingerbreads.

Stana Katic

Joel David Moore from Avatar will play Joey Ramone.

Malin Akerman has the enviable and unenviable task of trying to be a convincing Debbie Harry.

And more of the cast is set, according The Hollywood Reporter:

Julian Acosta (Thin Red Line) will play Johnny Ramone; Richard De Klerk (Repeaters) is CBGB soundman Taxi; Josh Zuckerman (Sex Drive) is Punk magazine creator John Holmstrom; Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy) is Mad Mountain; and Estelle Harris (Seinfeld) is Hillyâ€s mother, Bertha Kristal.

Estelle Harris??!!! George Costanza’s mother. I love it.

Press reports say that shooting will begin at Meddin Studios on June 25th.

Malin Akerman

Apparently some rockers who played the club in its heyday will have small parts and cameos.

Hilly Kristal’s daughter Lisa Kristal Burgman is a co-producer.

Randall Miller and Jody Savin co-wrote the screenplay, with Miller directing.

SCAD graduate Andre Danylevich is also listed as a producer. Andre was also associate producer for Savannah, and producer for a couple of great student shorts from 2010 — “En Route” and “Crowded Company”.

It’s hard not to be excited about this project, but I have no idea what the story actually covers.

Will the movie capture the raw energy of CBGB of the 1970s as it was?

Or in some watered down memorialization?

I’ll have a few thoughts about that in an upcoming post.

Rupert Grint has signed up to star in CBGB, a new film about the legendary New York venue.

Grint will play Cheetah Chrome, the guitarist for the Dead Boys, a punk band who played a prominent role during the club’s rise. Rock Of Ages actress Malin Akerman is lined up to play Blondie’s Debbie Harry in the film.

The movie, which will see Grint’s fellow Harry Potter actor Alan Rickman appear as venue owner Hilly Kristal, will be directed by Randal Miller – who has co-written the script with Jody Savin – and will begin shooting next month.

The now-23-year-old Rupert Grint played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series.

While Meddin Studios in Savannah will be decked out to look like the iconic nightclub, there will apparently be a lot of exteriors shot in New York City. Look for any number of aging rockers to have cameos in the film.