Alan Rickman has signed to play Hilly Kristal, the owner of the legendary New York City rock club CBGB’s for a film that will chronicle the venue’s storied history. The film, titled appropriately enough CBGB, is set to be directed by Bottle Shock helmer Randall Miller working from a script he has co-written with Jody Savin.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Kristal’s daughter Lisa Kristal Burgman is involved as a co-producer and Miller is hoping to start shooting next month.
If for some reason you’ve never heard of CBGBs, then you should know that shortly after it opened on the Bowery in 1973 it became ground zero for the punk movement in America where such bands as The Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Television, the Patti Smith Group and the Cramps first rose to prominence. The club would continue to serve as an incubator for acts up until its closing in October 2006.
