Michael Mayer confirms that Billie will play the role of St Jimmy in American Idiot movie

[Virtue]

AWESOME

Hmm..I only question how this movie is going to be like..Is it going to be like Mamma Mia? With Basically 98% Music and Dancing every 2 seconds with 2% Actual Acting? (Not complaining,I liked Mamma Mia) or

just a movie with musical scenes in style of an average music video? (Example,Jesus of suburbia) With the character not singing, but the music telling the story of their lives.

I personally don't think the huge colorful and flashy dance routine Mamma Mia has will work with American Idiot..Although I'm sure Michael Mayer will do the Album justice.

[Tubbie Head]

AWESOME

Hmm..I only question how this movie is going to be like..Is it going to be like Mamma Mia? With Basically 98% Music and Dancing every 2 seconds with 2% Actual Acting? (Not complaining,I liked Mamma Mia) or

just a movie with musical scenes in style of an average music video? (Example,Jesus of suburbia) With the character not singing, but the music telling the story of their lives.

I personally don't think the huge colorful and flashy dance routine Mamma Mia has will work with American Idiot..Although I'm sure Michael Mayer will do the Album justice.

I would prefer it Mamma Mia style honestly. The music is what interests me most of all. But either way I'm really excited for it!

[Sanket]

This post gave me a cardiac arrest....
While I'm sitting at the traffic light...
SO DAMN HAPPY!

Just saw the headline, so if this line of discussion has already been brought up in the thread, sorry, but...I honestly don't want to see Billie in the film, if it happens. Even if I were convinced he's a fucking amazing actor (which I'm not—emotional, over-the-top stuff works great on the stage, not so much on film—he's forty-one years old, guys. St. Jimmy is specifically referred to as "a teenage assassin", and while Billie still looks quite good for his age...I'm sorry, BJ, you don't look like a teenager anymore, and you never will. If this were eight years ago, he still could've passed, but not today. I'm afraid that the audience wouldn't be able to suspend their disbelief enough to accept Billie as a teenage rebel, and instead it would have the effect of rendering the character kinda silly. Honestly, I wish the movie were just one long music video—minimal dialogue, no actors singing, just visuals set to the original album. As far as I'm concerned, the musical already destroyed a lot of what made AI a masterpiece and a touchstone—and this is coming from someone who fucking loves musicals. But if it has to be a conventional musical—I'm sorry, but I don't want to see Billie on the poster.

I'm pretty sure the movie won't follow the musical or album step-by-step. They might change a few things. So Billie doesn't really have to look like a teenager... does he?

[Iva]

Michael Mayer/Producer Ira Pittelman ALSO confirmed that they ARE working with Billie Joe to do ANOTHER NEW MUSICAL. In the future. Not yet. But on the horizon some day.

It's weird that y'all are like "this is never going to happen." Maybe it's because I've followed the film industry in some detail for many years, but I understand how and why things take MUCH longer than we're used to waiting for albums. Movies are a different beast (especially real movies, done well, and something like American Idiot will want to be as mainstream as possible and attract the kind of audiences that Rent, Chicago, Mamma Mia did.) It will happen, it's just a new level of patience that even Green Day fans aren't used to.

Thanks for all the news on this. As for the second paragraph, those were exactly my thoughts while reading the first page of the thread. A film has pre-production, preliminary photography, actual filming, then post-production...it takes time. Normal stuff.

[EmmaCharlatan&Saints]

Seems very unlikely we will see this anytime soon. Sounds like a classic case of development hell. And if we do eventually see it come to light I have a feeling it may not be that good..plus Billie isint exactly a great actor i wouldnt even call him a good actor frankly thats just me.

But yeah I doubt we will see this ever or itll be years

[ANJI]

I'm intrigued to fiind out how it will turn out! Looking forward to it

[Cath]

what about Tre & Mike? i can totally imagine Tre playing a serious role.


no not at all

[R_Z-Log]

I've seen plenty of celebrities screwing up roles on Broadway because they think they can act. I saw Mel B from Spice Girls play Mimi in Rent and wanted to vomit.

BUT I think Billie will be a great St. Jimmy if they actually do this movie. It's his role!

Besides, they are probably also looking at it from a financial perspective. Didn't ticket sales for the show on Broadway plummet after BJ left the show?

[Karol Oliveira]

I'm, like most of you, not sure how I feel about this - regarding Billie's acting. Huh, let's see...

what about Tre & Mike? i can totally imagine Tre playing a serious role.


no not at all

I can totally imagine Tré dancing (in a serious way)!

No, not really!

[It's Splash Time]

I don't think Billie is a good actor, but that's probably more to do with me always seeing him as Billie, no matter who he's supposed to be. But St. Jimmy is a part of Billie. And clearly he did well at playing St. Jimmy on Broadway. So I think this will go well for him. It's still a fair while away before we'll get to see it though.

I don't want to eat my laptop but St Billie just appeared omfg

^ it's worrying that I can quote myself like that

[GDM]

....mystery

Heather is there too. She'll gives us all the specifics

Not much of a mystery who I am. I've written a blog about Green Day (called Green Day Mind and a Twitter account) since 2009, though I don't write it too much anymore. Andres knows me, as well as a bunch of other people at GDA. I'm pretty sure that Andres knows I wouldn't write something that I had no clue about!

Anyway, Mayer didn't say much and Billie Joe has said it before, but Mayer was pretty adamant that WHEN the movie happened (whenever that is), that Billie Joe would be St. Jimmy.

Nice to meet ya.

[LazyPhil]

yes. i think it depends on all the fans' attitude towards making a movie.

fans need to make it happen.

That actually makes sense

[Dirntbag]

Sounds awesome but I'm not entirely convinced that it's ever going to come out... Also, I think that it would be kind of cool to have Lou Taylor Pucci and Kelli Gardner play St.Jimmy and Whatsername so that the movie was kind of like a continuation/expansion of the music video. At the same time, Billie being in it would be pretty cool though, as some other people have said I don't know if he's the greatest actor, or the right choice for a role like this where I think many fans portray St.Jimmy as an adolescent.

But I hear what Heather is saying. If we want this to happen, we've got to want it! I'll probably be making some edits and putting them up on tumblr tonight

[The Forgotten]

What should I do to spread my AI movie excitement and let people know the community wants it!?

[BringMoreKnives]

Eh, I'm not sure how I feel about this, no offense to Billie.

[musso_kn]

The movie should not be one of those big Hollywood productions. I'm not saying it should be really artsy, but it needs that understated but clever feel to it.

And under no circumstances should Billie Joe play a role in this. He's a terrible actor and I couldn't take him seriously anyway.

[WestboundSign!]

I'm not really convinced if this movie is every going to happen. But if it is, that definitely is cool news Billie might not be the very best actor but we also don't know yet what the movie will be like.

[Heather.]

Two things

1. They will probably add REAL dialogue in a movie version, I don't think it would be sung-through operatic. Michael Mayer seems to understand this.

2. Someone in the Q&A asked if American Idiot would ever RETURN to Broadway. Producer said that he and Michael and Billie talk about that A LOT (but there's probably no hope for it at this time), but let me tell you something, if this movie is made and is successful (and although musical movies get a lot of shit, there's usually only one or two major ones released a year, so musical lovers DO fucking go see them when they come out), it would definitely reinspire popularity not only in the original album, which I guarantee could pick up another million sales from a successful film, but also cause a resurgence on Broadway. I saw Rent 5 times after the movie came out in 2005.

[lizziebix]

Not much of a mystery who I am. I've written a blog about Green Day (called Green Day Mind and a Twitter account) since 2009, though I don't write it too much anymore. Andres knows me, as well as a bunch of other people at GDA. I'm pretty sure that Andres knows I wouldn't write something that I had no clue about!

Anyway, Mayer didn't say much and Billie Joe has said it before, but Mayer was pretty adamant that WHEN the movie happened (whenever that is), that Billie Joe would be St. Jimmy.

Nice to meet ya.

Miss you. Wish you'd come around more often!

[Kayfabe]

I've always considered Jimmy being Jesus' "ghost" so to speak, in terms of American Idiot's story. Sort of like the devil on his shoulder. It'd be interesting to see Billie in that role and I have to wonder who they'd pick for Jesus of Suburbia himself

I don't know where the claims of BJA being a bad actor are coming from, also. I (very sadly) never got to see him perform as St Jimmy when he was on Broadway, but the little tidbits I did see he seemed to have handled himself well. Also the snatches of This is 40 that he appeared in were hilarious

[WhiteTim]

Yeah Billie may have been good as St Jimmy in the musicial but film is an ENTIRELY different ballgame...

That's why there are TONS of broadway and musicals actors and actresses who only do broadway and musicals...

[EmmaCharlatan&Saints]

Billie is not an actor by nature and its pretty clear from the things weve seen him in. he is very flat and it sounds very forced. Plus acting on stage in a musical is whole different ball game then acting in front of a camera. Actors in the theatre are almost encouraged to go over the top sometimes to project to everyone in a theatre as it is immediate. Film is entirely different a theatre actor can cross over sure but it needs to be learned. A musical is one thing where the majority is singing Billie has that stage presence in droves...acting though not so much and im talking away from the musical on stage here.

Plus by the time this actually comes around and if a studio is involved they wont go near Billie

[Iva]

Not much of a mystery who I am. I've written a blog about Green Day (called Green Day Mind and a Twitter account) since 2009, though I don't write it too much anymore. Andres knows me, as well as a bunch of other people at GDA. I'm pretty sure that Andres knows I wouldn't write something that I had no clue about!

Anyway, Mayer didn't say much and Billie Joe has said it before, but Mayer was pretty adamant that WHEN the movie happened (whenever that is), that Billie Joe would be St. Jimmy.

Nice to meet ya.

You should write more, you have a sect of fans among us who were dormant for years.

[Guest]

I don't care how long it takes, I'm damn excited to see Billie do this

[just_like_jen]

Ohhh myyy godddd!!! I just want this freakin' movie to happen already!!!