Controversial punk rocker GG Allin’s life is getting the movie treatment. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Tuesday that director Jonas Åkerlund is set to helm GG Allin: Live. Fast. Die., a biopic centered on the rocker. According to the outlet, Allin’s life and music rights have been acquired by producers and a script has been written by Richard Schenkman.
Produced by Don Murphy and Susan Monford of Angry Films and MVD Entertainment Group, the upcoming biopic is said to explore “what happens to a borderline personality when the reach for fame exceeds the limits of talent… when substance abuse goes unchecked and mental illness undiagnosed and untreated… and when a fictional character takes over a real person’s life, driving GG beyond limits anyone could possibly endure.”
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Born Jesus Christ Allin but known as Kevin Michael Allin, he adopted “GG” as his stage persona. He became known as rock ‘n roll’s “outlaw scumfuc,” Allin was a cult and fringe figure in the 1980s punk scene whose live shows were notorious for the rocker’s outrageous acts, which included defecating on stage and throwing it at his audience. His live show stunts, which often ended in chaos and violence, resulted in numerous arrests and imprisonments. Allin’s role as GG, however, took over his life, and he eventually fell into booze and drugs. He died from an accidental heroin overdose in 1993 at the age of 36.
“This is exactly the type of real and raw story I am looking for and this film explores the ugly belly of the beast and how Kevin Allin came to be GG,” Åkerlund said. “Punk was already a genre about pushing limits, expanding on musical genres and the definition of artistic expression. At a time when punk was thought to be dead, sold out or too raw to survive, GG came into the scene bleeding, pissing, and sinking like no punk before. Live. Fast. Die. is about a sick person who should have asked for help. GG’s strong persona was a gia, but this borderline personality disorder was not treated, and killed him.”
Schenkman, who spent a year researching and writing the script, added, “I (also) read hundreds of articles about him, arrest and trial transcripts, even his unpublished memoir. I watched hours of videos and endured track after track of his assaultive music. I wanted everything in this movie to be accurate and true. And it is.”
GG Allin: Live. Fast. Die. does not yet have a release date. MVD Entertainment Group is representing worldwide rights. Åkerlund, who won a Grammy for directing Madonna’s “Ray of Light” video, most recently directed all episodes of Netflix’s Clark. His credits also include Lord of Chaos and Polar. Schenkman is known for writing Mischief Night, Zombie Night, and The Man from Earth: Holocene, the latter of which he also directed.
