When anyone thinks of the Beach Boys, chances are they usually think of Brian Wilson. But there were other members of the band, and now a new biopic will focus on one of them, with Aaron Eckhart signing on to play Dennis Wilson in The Drummer.
Dennis Wilson, along with brothers Brian and Carl, cousin Mike Love and pal Al Jardine, formed the band in California in 1961. Despite their early success, the band's history has not been a happy one. But even with that seemingly rich source of material, the film itself will actually chronicle the last six years of his life, and aims to shed more light on the man behind the music.
Bottle Shock director Randall Miller is directing the movie, which Eckhart has been negotiating to join for several months. He’ll not only executive produce, but also strikes the skins and sing songs from Wilson’s solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue.
"We'd been trying to figure out who the right person would be to fill this role," Miller tells Variety. "It's quite a demanding role so it had to be a great actor who could sing." With the rights to Wilson’s life and his music now locked down, the plan is to kick off shooting next year.
Eckhart, meanwhile, just landed the lead in Lionsgate’s I, Frankenstein and will next crop up in** The Rum Diary**, out on November 11.