Johnny Ramones’ widow sues over “unauthorized” Ramones film

An upcoming biopic on the Ramones is the subject of a new court case brought by Linda Ramone, widow of guitarist Johnny Ramone.

Linda is suing Joey Ramone‘s brother Mitchel Hyman, better known by his stage name, Mickey Leigh. Linda and Mickey are both 50% shareholders in Ramones Productions, Inc.

The suit also names David Frey, who was hired by Leigh as director of the Ramones’ holding company, as a defendant. It includes a variety of allegations, with the suit claiming Leigh and Frey “have effectively shut down the entire company” due to disputes, personal attacks and more.

But one of the main issues is the planned Ramones film, with the suit arguing the pair “unilaterally and covertly developed an unapproved and unauthorized Ramones-based biopic” based on Mickey’s memoir, I Slept with Joey Ramone. The suit calls the film a “one-sided recitation of the history of the Ramones,” with Linda also objecting to the planned use of Ramones music in the film.

Although the suit doesn’t go into specific details about the movie, there is a film based on Mickey’s book in development with Netflix, with Pete Davidson set to star as Joey Ramone.

The suit says Linda objects to any film without her involvement, noting, “To permit defendants alone to tell the authoritative story of the Ramones would be an injustice to the band and its legacy.”