Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister Biopic Coming Soon
Lemmy Kilmister is gone but not forgotten. Since his death on December 28, 2015, fans have memorialized Lemmy on social media, in live music venues and in their hearts and minds. Now fans have another way to remember the legend as it has just been announced that VMI will be introducing a Lemmy biopic at the Cannes virtual market.
The film will be called ‘Lemmy’ and it will be directed by Greg Oliver, who spent three years following Lemmy and his band around. It will be introduced to buyers by VMI Worldwide at the upcoming virtual Cannes market.
The film will be produced by VMI Worldwide’s Andre Rellis and Damon Lane. Motorhead managers Todd Singerman and Steffan Chirazi are onboard as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Medeni Griffiths with Oliver’s input.
There is no word on the casting or who is set to play Lemmy. However, before his passing, Kilmister said he would want Roger Moore to play him in a biopic.
The film will chronicle much of Lemmy’s young life including his stint as Jimi Hendrix’s roadie and his time playing in the psychedelic band Hawkwind. (He was kicked out for erratic behavior).
It wasn’t until Lemmy was in his 30’s that he set out to create Motorhead, the band that has been called the “loudest, dirtiest and most liberated rock n’ roll band in the world. The movie will look at how the band bridged the gap between heavy metal, thrash and punk and paved the way for the many bands that came since.
Here’s what Oliver had to say about Lemmy’s life, Motorhead and the biopic.
"Everything you’ve heard about Lemmy is probably true … not because he was embracing rock n’ roll clichés, but because he was creating them. Marlboro Reds and Jack Daniel’s for breakfast, speed for dinner — all true. But behind that steely-eyed façade of rock 'n’ roll was also a compelling, complicated and lion-hearted man who stayed the course and never gave up playing the music that made him happy. We’ve been carefully developing this biopic since 2013, making sure to stay true to Lemmy, Motörhead band members Phil Campbell and Mikkey Dee, and all the other folks that played important roles in Lemmy’s life. This will be a film they’ll be proud of.”
Chirazi and Singerman released this statement, "It is a story of immense cultural importance. If the last five years of his absence has taught us anything, it is that he was more unique than anyone could ever have known, because no one touches the quality and sheer freedom of the man. Greg is a deeply trusted part of our circle, and we are delighted to see this film coming to fruition."
Relis added “Lemmy and Mötorhead’s music had a major influence on my life and music experience. They were the band that started the crossover of metal and punk.”
The team is hoping that production on Lemmy will be starting up in early 2021. Be sure to look out for the film. It promises to be a wild ride.
