Seems like there have been quite a lot of music icons biopics in the works lately. There’s the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy that premiered at Sundance last January, Joan Jett’s The Runaways with Twilight‘s Kristen Stewart out this month, and just a few weeks ago, I read some news about the Kurt Cobain biopic that’s apparently been long in the works. It’s still unknown who’s going to play the Nirvana’s front man though. This time it’s the Irish band U2’s turn. Since my hubby and I are going to a U2 concert in June, I thought I’d blog on this project.

Now, this one is a biopic of a different sort however. According to Variety, the movie will chronicle the early days of U2 from a rival band’s perspective, which is based on Neil McCormick’s book Killing Bono: I Was Bono’s Doppleganger. Set in the 1970s and the early 80s, it’s billed as a musical comedy. Ben Barnes (Chronicle of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Dorian Gray) has been cast as McCormick, who’s joined by his former Stardust‘s co-star Charlie Cox and Robert Shehaan (Red Riding).

A bit of info on the book: Bono himself wrote the foreword, and apparently the man himself came up with the ‘killing Bono’ idea, “… McCormick frankly sees Bono as his doppelganger, getting every opportunity that he wanted and desired, while McCormick seems to meet with every bad break under the sun.” The author formed a band with his brother, Ivan, and for a while, were just another fledging rock band coming out of Mount Temple (the Dublin school the author and Bono went to). But U2 made it, and McCormick continued to struggle, for years, and years, and years and years. (per blogcritics.org).

Irish Central reports that the movie has begun filming in Belfast (JustJarred posted a few on-set pics), which will last for about four weeks. Director Nick Hamm and producer Mark Huffman are both Belfast natives. The article also said an unreleased U2 song will also feature in the film, so I guess it’s got Bono’s blessings as well. Wonder if he’ll have a cameo role in the movie. I’m curious to see this one when it comes out later this year, sounds like an amusing premise. What do you think folks? Which of your favorite rock star(s) do you want to see get their own biopic?