Last Saturday, January 21st, Linda Ramone , widow of Ramones Johnny Ramone , filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Court (via NME ) declaring that Mickey Leigh Joey Ramone 's brother , is developing an unauthorized biopic of the group. Linda and Mickey are, respectively, responsible for the estates of Johnny and Joey, in addition to owning equal shares of Ramones Productions Inc.
In 2009, Mickey Leigh released his book titled 'I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir,' in which the author recounts what it was like growing up with a brother who became a rock star, amidst numerous personal anxieties and psychological problems. In 2021, Netflix released a press statement announcing (via Netflix ) that a biopic based on Mickey's book, with a screenplay and adaptation by actor Pete Davidson and director Jason Orley, was being produced in partnership with the entertainment company STXfilms Motion Picture Group. However, to date, no film has actually been released.
Film production was reportedly scheduled to resume earlier this year, 2024, but according to a report published by Billboard , Linda Ramone claimed in a lawsuit against the production that the film could not only have the approval of Joey's estate, even if it focuses on him, but also of Ramones Productions Inc. "As a 50% shareholder of RPI, Ms. Ramone would never have consented to the defendants unilaterally developing a Ramones biopic," her lawyers stated.
Legal battles and shelved films
Legal disputes between Linda Ramone and Mickey Leigh are longstanding. Following the deaths of Joey and Johnny Ramone in 2001 and 2004, respectively, the guitarist's widow and the singer's brother initiated several lawsuits regarding the band's intellectual property, reaching an official settlement in 2019 that remains in effect today. However, this settlement did not prevent the lawsuits from continuing, as last year both parties filed lawsuits against each other that are still ongoing.
In 2014 it was announced (via VEJA ) that American director Martin Scorsese, known for Taxi Driver and The Wolf of Wall Street, was being considered for a film about the Ramones' story, according to one of the directors of the band's estate. That film was never released. Furthermore, in 2018 Mickey was working with director Nick Cassavetes and producer Gene Kirkwood on an adaptation of his book, which again was not released.
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