Alan Rickman is known for playing bad guys (“Die Hard”) and sort-of-bad guys (the “Harry Potter” series), but now the British actor is playing one of music history’s coolest guys.
Rickman will head to the ’70s to play Hilly Kristal, the founder of New York’s legendary CBGB in an as-yet-untitled film about the club. Written by Randall Miller and Jody Savin (“Bottle Shock”), the project has the OK from Kristal’s daughter, Lisa Kristal Burgman, who will act as the film’s co-producer. Miller will direct, with the film expected to start shooting as early as June, according to Billboard..
Founded in 1973 as a haven for fans of country, bluegrass and blues (hence the CBGB), the famed NYC venue eventually changed formats to house rock bands and helped launch the careers of such punk-era legends as The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith and Television. It closed its doors in 2006.
Rickman, last seen in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” will soon appear in the heist comedy “Gambit,” opposite Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth.