Billie Joe Armstrong teases ‘American Idiot' film
Green Day 's debut comedy film is still in the works, but frontman Billie Joe Armstrong says that the band is already thinking about its next on-screen project.
The East Bay punk singer hinted that a film adaptation of the trio's 'American Idiot' musical may be on the horizon.
'There was supposed to be (a film), but it never panned out,' Armstrong said in an interview with Variety published Thursday, May 1. 'I'm sure something is gonna happen. The musical did so well and they've done it in Australia, Italy, Germany, England ... It's traveled so well. Eventually it's going to happen, I would think.'
Armstrong previously noted in 2016 that the adaptation had already been greenlit by HBO and a script was going through a rewrite process.
The musical, with a book by Armstrong and Michael Mayer, music by Green Day and lyrics by Armstrong, had its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2009, helping to establish that company as a powerhouse developer of new musicals. Reviewing it that year, Chronicle critic Robert Hurwitt praised the show's 'Broadway-quality pipes, stage-rattling, thrashing choreography, flying bodies and walls crammed with pulsating video and projected images.'
'American Idiot' also helped popularize rock as a subgenre within jukebox musicals, with shows such as 'Head Over Heels' and 'Jagged Little Pill' arguably following in its footsteps.
The Broadway transfer received a Tony Award nomination for best musical, winning for best scenic design and best lighting design. Armstrong himself briefly appeared in the Broadway production in the role of St. Jimmy, who's both a charismatic alter ego to the show's protagonist and a demonic figure whispering in his ear.
Though no timeline for a potential film adaptation of 'American Idiot' has been announced yet, the band is keeping busy working on their coming-of-age comedy ' New Year's Rev.'
Co-produced by Armstrong and his Green Day bandmates bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool, the project is inspired by the trio's early touring experiences. It follows three friends who set off on a road trip to Los Angeles, under the impression that they'll be opening for Green Day.
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