Once upon a time in biopic-ville little Elijah Wood was going to star in a film about the life of iconic punk rocker Iggy Pop and his seminal band The Stooges.
Every few years we hear some minor update (though he once endorsed the project, Pop has subsequently said it’s dead, Wood insists it might one day happen), but it appears that without Pop’s cooperation — even though a script was written and he ostensibly gave his early consent — the filmmakers have decided scrap the project for now which seems to have made Pop, né Mr. James Osterberg Jr., pretty happy.
“I think it’s on the shelf,” Pop said. “It’s nothing against Elijah and the script was ok but they sort of wanted me to jump out of cakes and do promotional things and I didn’t really want to get involved. I didn’t think it was time for someone else to tell our story because inevitably it’s not just my story it’s everybody I worked with.”
What Pop does seem keen on is the documentary that his friend and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch — who cast him in a “Coffee & Cigarettes” vignette and chose the Stooges to recently headline All Tomorrow’s Parties — recently announced. Those still hoping to see Pop immortalized on screen ala Jim Morrison in a cradle to grave biographic picture might get their wish one day, but it sounds like you’ll have to wait until the legend kicks the bucket.
“Jim Jarmusch is in progress making a very artistic documentary about the group but you know, I’m not dead yet. When I’m dead then people can do that to me.”
Though he does have a new perfect choice to play him. “If somebody did want to make a biopic of me I think they should get Lindsay Lohan actually. She looks like me and she’s the only one with enough attitude too. They could tape her boobs up or something. She’s been in jail at the right age and everything so I thought she could do it.”
Honestly, that’s kind of genius and would work. Wouldn’t it be and interesting, Todd Solondz-like choice to have Lohan play that role, but not even try to hide her gender and have no characters make mention of it? You can keep that one guys, it’s free. In the meantime, keep spinning those Stooges records at 11 (can we also recommend Pop’s lesser-appreciated New Values) and maybe take Todd Haynes’ “Velvet Goldmine” for another spin as it does feature Ewan McGregor playing a quasi-fictionalized version of Pop. [ABC.Net.Au]
