Foo Fighters Drummer Playing Iggy Pop In ‘CBGB’

The more we hear about ‘CBGB,’ the more we think it could shape up to be a definitive look at an iconic rock club in its prime. The latest casting bit reveals that Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins will play Iggy Pop in the film, a significant figure from the club’s early days.

CBGB’s was Ground Zero for the punk rock scene in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Bands like The Ramones, Blondie and Pop’s own The Stooges took to the stage on a regular basis to rebel against the bloated prog-rock that was clogging radio airwaves.

Writer-director Randall Miller also has cast Alan Rickman as club owner Hilly Kristal. But in the last few weeks, he has added Malin Akerman as Debbie Harry, Rupert Grint as Cheetah Chrome, and Joel David Moore as legendary frontman Joey Ramone.

Now THR says the cast is rounding out with several familiar faces. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ co-star Johnny Galecki has joined the ensemble as music manager Terry Ork. Meanwhile, ‘The Borgias’ actress Mickey Sumner will play Patti Smith. In supporting roles, Miller cast Steven Schub (‘Chicago 8’) as Dee Dee Ramone; Evan Alex Cole (‘She’s Outta My League’) as Richard Hell; Peter Vack (‘I Just Want My Pants Back’) as Legs McNeil; and Kerry Bische (‘Red State’) as Mary Harron.

It’s unclear how much screen time each “rocker” will get. With Ackerman in the cast, I wonder of Harry will be a focal point, though adding actors to play members of The Ramones might mean the relatively silent band gets a few lines of dialogue. Probably, “One! Two! Three! Four!”

As for now, what do you think of the casting? Hawkins is such a charismatic guy. Both he and his bandmate Dave Grohl easily could make it as silver screen stars, if they weren’t so busy dominating the charts as rock musicians. But do you think he can pull off Iggy Pop? Let us know.