Green Day’s Mike Dirnt Producing Indie Film “Crickets”
Green Day is an iconic punk band in modern rock music, but they are also becoming more well-known in the movie industry lately. The newest addition to Green Day’s growing movie collection is an indie film called Crickets. Mike Dirnt, best known as the bassist for Green Day, is producing the new film. Also co-producing Crickets is Green Day’s longtime manager, Pat Magnarella. The script was written by Alfredo Botello, also an old friend of Mike’s.
As the Hollywood Reporter describes:
The story, by Botello and Jack Umbrella, centers on the relationship of two estranged brothers. One, an aspiring stand-up comic, is dying of a terminal illness. He asks his brother, a depressed office drone, for one last request: to go on stage and perform his material for him to see if he ever really had talent. What he doesn’t reveal, though, is that he has an even bigger surprise in store.
Mike says that the love-hate relationship “feels very real.” As he stated, “I’ve been — and a lot of people have been — affected by illnesses and it’s a very relatable thing.” Mike’s wife of 5 years, Brittney, was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The couple are hopeful and staying strong, and have been sharing their journey and fight against cancer through Instagram. Mike and Brittney have two small children together; Mike also has a teenaged daughter from a previous marriage.
Script writer Alfredo Botello says of Crickets, “It’s something I’ve been working on a while back. I wanted to write something about the topic of death that was touching but not too sentimental.” As Mike also added, “I’m just kind of tired of junk food movies. Here’s something that’s a feel good, feel bad and feel everything movie.”
In addition to producing Crickets, Mike Dirnt will also do what he does best and help out with the music for the film. Although Billie Joe is the main songwriter in Green Day, Mike has also played an instrumental role in writing songs. A few Green Day tracks are written entirely by Mike.
Mike and Alfredo are in the process of assembling a team to help them work on the film. There is still no timetable for when the film will be released.
Green Day have been the stars and/or producers of a plethora of impressive documentaries, including ones about Green Day’s recent trilogy, their musical adaptation of American Idiot, and upcoming films documenting Green Day’s pre-Dookie days and the East Bay punk scene. They are also taking part in the upcoming film version of their American Idiot musical (rumored to star singer Billie Joe Armstrong as St. Jimmy), and Billie Joe is making his major acting debut as a lead role in the indie film Like Sunday, Like Rain, set for release later this year.
Although Green Day is currently taking a break from music, following world tours in support of their trilogy last year, the members are keeping busy with other projects. In addition to documentaries and indie films, Billie Joe also recorded an Everyly Brothers covers album with Norah Jones last year. Soon enough, Green Day will be back in rock mode, recharged and ready to share more music with the world.
Keep checking back for more news on Green Day’s multiple upcoming film projects, as well as all info on their musical return.
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