Floria Sigismondi's punk girl biopic "The Runaways" may still be short a few bandmembers, but the director may be making room for a boy: Michael Shannon, the buzzed-about character actor who finally snagged an Oscar nomination this year for his performance in "Revolutionary Road." Scheduling conflicts could keep him from rocking out in "The Runaways," but The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Shannon is currently "in negotiations" to play alongside Kristen Stewart's Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning's Cherie Currie.
What's not specified is which of the few male roles Shannon is interested in. It is possible that the actor might be playing music producer Kim Fowley. While the idea of an all-girl band really belonged to Joan Jett and Sandy West, it was their associations with Fowley that helped them recruit other the other band members. Fowley's marketing helped The Runaways become a phenomenon, but rumors abound about his treatment of the musicians. In the 2004 documentary "Edgeplay," members of The Runaways accused him of pitting the girls against each other professionally, as well as subjecting them to verbal and sexual abuse.
A controversial character like Fowley is certainly something an actor like Shannon could sink his teeth into. However, there are other men who were involved in the personal and professional lives of The Runaways, so this is all speculation on my part. For now, let's just be happy that the biopic is attracting such a variety of talent.
MTV readers: are you looking forward to "The Runaways"? Who else would you like to see cast in the all girl band? How do you feel about "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart or Dakota Fanning being on board?