Martin Scorsese will direct a documentary about The Ramones, the poster boys of American punk rock, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band's debut album. The film will accompany a theatrical play, remastered greatest hits releases, a book, apparel, and other tributes slated for 2016.
"We’re looking at a documentary on the Ramones, we just secured a ton of footage, much of which has never been seen before," said Jeff Jampol, who co-manages the band’s estate, noting that the Oscar-winning director has expressed interest in leading the project.
"It came from the Ramones on the road over the years in the Seventies and a little bit in the Eighties, from a gentleman who had shot them, his name is George Seminara."
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According to Billboard, the year-long celebration of The Ramones is being coordinated by Jampol, who also manages the estates of The Doors, Janis Joplin, Tupac, Otis Redding, and more.
"The 40th anniversary of the Ramones is coming up in 2016, that’s when the first album came out. So we have a lot of projects leading up to that," he said Sunday at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where a bevy of celebrities gathered for the tenth annual event tribute to guitarist Johnny Ramone.
"That was probably the last Johnny Ramone tribute you’re gonna see," he said of the event, which was attended by Johnny’s widow Linda, Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan, Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, actor Fred Armesen, Billy Idol, and host Rob Zombie.
"We're gonna do something moving forward, but it’s gonna be Ramones . . . The legacy is the Ramones, the music is the Ramones, it was the four of them — it was Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, and Tommy, and everybody is cooperating and moving in one direction together as a team."
The last surviving member of the original band, drummer Tommy Ramone, died in July of this year. Joey, Dee Dee, and Johnny passed in 2001, 2002, and 2004, respectively. All four members and Tommy's replacement, Marky Ramone, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, whereupon Johnny lauded then-President George W. Bush, showing off
his famously conservative politics.
Spin reported Monday that in addition to 2016 tributes, British singer Morrissey, former frontman of The Smiths, is currently curating the track-listing for the forthcoming "Best of the Ramones" CD/LP set for release by Sire-Rhino.
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