EXCLUSIVE : McG ( Way of the Warrior Kid ) is in final negotiations to direct Shout It Out Loud , a biopic about Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and their superstar rock band KISS, which will be produced by STX Entertainment, sources tell Deadline.
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STX declined to comment, but we hear the studio is in discussions with Lionsgate to distribute the film worldwide and co-finance. The project previously had been set up at Netflix , following a bidding war, with Joachim Rønning attached to direct, as we first reported in 2021.
No word on the framing the film will take in looking at KISS’s decades-long musical journey. Financed by Polygram Entertainment, the most recent draft of the script is written by Darren Lemke ( Shazam! , Gemini Man ). The project is based on a prior script by Ole Sanders, who was involved with Rønning’s incarnation.
When the deal makes, McG will produce alongside his Wonderland producing partner Mary Viola. Other producers and executive producers for the project include Mark Canton, Leigh Ann Burton, Doc McGhee, Polygram Entertainment’s Jody Gerson and David Blackman, David Hopwood, Courtney Solomon, and Dorothy Canton, along with Simmons and Stanley. Christa Campbell and Annie Herndon are overseeing for STX.
Currently in production on Way of the Warrior Kid , starring Chris Pratt, for Apple and Skydance, McG is expected to move on to Shout It Out Loud when that film completes. Casting is said to be underway as McG is aiming for production to start in the second quarter of 2025.
An iconic band rooted in hard rock and heavy metal, with glam rock influences, KISS was formed in New York City by Stanley, Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in 1973. Known for their signature kabuki-style face paint and larger-than-life, pyrotechnic-filled performances, the band broke out with the the 1975 live album Alive! , which featured the anthem “Rock and Roll All Nite” and solidified their status as one of the era’s top acts. The band’s most successful albums include Destroyer (1976), Love Gun (1977), Alive II (1977) and Dynasty (1979), which produced hits including “Beth,” “Detroit Rock City” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.” All four band members released solo albums in 1978.
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Frehley and Criss departed KISS decades ago, leaving Simmons and Stanley as the lone original members. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, the band spent four years on the road for their farewell “End of the Road” World Tour, officially retiring after their final concert at Madison Square Garden in December.
While the days of live KISS performances may be over, the band will continue to appear going forward in the form of digital avatars introduced at the Madison Square Garden show, which will headline their own virtual stage performances. The group sold their music catalog, name, image and likeness to the Sweden-based Pophouse Entertainment in April, in a deal Bloomberg and Associated Press had as worth more than $300 million.
Sources said STX and Lionsgate view McG as the ideal choice to direct Shout It Out Loud , given his history of directing hugely successful music videos, such as Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” Sugar Ray’s “Fly” and Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week,” as well as big studio pictures like Charlie’s Angels . Prior to Way of the Warrior Kid , which adapts the 2017 children’s novel from Jocko Willink, the prolific filmmaker helmed Uglies , starring Joey King, a sci-fi actioner for Netflix that premieres Friday on the streamer.
McG is repped by WME, Entertainment 360, and Sloane Offer Weber & Dern. Lemke is with UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and Loeb & Loeb.
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