#Pete Davidson Will Play Joey Ramone in New Netflix Biopic

Netflix and STXfilms have detailed a previously announced biopic about Ramones frontman and punk icon Joey Ramone—and Pete Davidson has been cast in the lead role. I Slept With Joey Ramone is based on Mickey Leigh (Joey’s brother)’s memoir of the same name. The announcement arrives on the 20th anniversary of Joey Ramone’s death.

The film was originally announced in 2017, with Nick Cassavetes set to helm the project. Now, I Slept With Joey Ramone will now be directed by Jason Orley, who worked with Pete Davidson on Big Time Adolescence and Pete Davidson: Alive from New York. Orley and Davidson adapted Leigh’s memoir into a treatment for the film. Davidson is also an executive producer alongside Leigh, Rory Rosegarten, and David Spiegelman. The film will be made with the cooperation and support of the Estate of Joey Ramone and with the assistance of Rosegarten Films.

“When you share a bed with someone—and not just a bed, but a childhood, a family, and a lifetime—you know that person better than anybody else,” Adam Fogelson, Chairman STXfilms Motion Picture Group, said in a press release. He continued:

Mickey Leigh not only collaborated with his big brother’s band—he has irreplaceable memories of and insights into Joey Ramone, having supported him when no one else would and witnessed him overcome adversity in the most dramatic way. I Slept With Joey Ramone is a great rock anthem that will make an equally great rock biopic, set apart by a universal story of family. Pete is perfect for this role and we’re excited he and Jason will be bringing this icon of rock to life and thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends at Netflix.

Revisit “The Ramones Come Home, Via the Queens Machine” on the Pitch.