The Who singer Roger Daltrey has revealed in a new interview that he’s finished with a script for a biopic about late drummer Keith Moon. What’s more, he has “an actor in mind” to play his former bandmate.
Daltrey shared an update about his plans for the long-gestating film in an interview with Vulture. “I just finished a script, and I’m hoping to do my biopic of Keith within the next couple of years,” he said. “I’m very pleased with the script. I want people to get an understanding of him and his life, and the complete genius he was. He had so much talent, that boy, but he became out of control for a lot of reasons. Mostly for lack of discipline. But once the drugs kick in, usually that disappears, doesn’t it?”
He continued by describing the ideal actor who he wants to play Moon:
“I’ve got an actor in mind who’s a role model. He might be too old, but then again, Keith looked 50 when he died. He was 32, but he looked 54. I think the actor is about 40 now. I don’t want to jinx it and say his name. But there’s an actor who I’ve seen and when I look at him I go, ‘God, it’s Moon.’ It’s all to do with the eyes. The eyes are all important. You virtually wouldn’t need to say any dialogue because you could read it in his eyes. I mean, that’s a bit much, but you know what I mean. You can read so much in the face of Keith. He had such an incredible vibrancy.”
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Based on pure speculation, one potential candidate is former Phantom Planet drummer Jason Schwartzman, who is currently 42 years old. Not only is the frequent Wes Anderson collaborator a capable actor, but he can also literally play the part.
As Daltrey recalled, comedic actor Mike Myers was interested in playing Moon back in the mid-2000s, when the film was just getting off the ground. “I think Mike, when he was younger, would’ve made a fabulous Keith,” he said. “It’s a shame it never happened. I’m driven by this project. It came to me in a dream 30 years ago.”
In late January 2022, it was reported that a Keith Moon biopic written by British screenwriter Jeff Pope was set to begin production in the summer months. Though Daltrey and Pete Townshend were on board as executive producers, that project appears to be completely separate from the film Daltrey is trying to make.
