His widow, Hole singer Courtney Love, has been hinting about the project for years, but it now seems as if the biopic of former Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain is on its way.
Partly based on biography by Seattle writer Charles R Cross – a book titled Heavier Than Heaven – a film about the life of the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” star is going into production with Universal Pictures. The studio is reportedly in talks with Oren Moverman, an Oscar-nominated director (The Messenger) who will work on the new screenplay following the replacement of writer David Benioff (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Kite Runner).
“It’s not like he wrote The Hangover,” Cross told Rolling Stone, when quizzed about Moverman’s involvement. “He’s worked on some serious projects, like the Dylan biopic I’m Not There, so that’s probably a good thing when it comes to doing a movie on Cobain’s life.”
The Nirvana frontman died back in 1994, after committing suicide following his battle with heroin. “A lot of people working now in Hollywood, for them, Cobain was an icon,” says Cross. “So there’s a genuine investment in seeing the movie done well.”
Cross also said the former Nirvana bandmates Kurt Novoselic and Dave Grohl have approved the use of the band’s music in the soundtrack, with Love set to executive produce. “Everything I know is that the people at Universal have everything tied up, so whoever gets cast as Cobain will be able to sing these songs in the movie,” Cross revealed.