It’s been quite a while since we’ve had any solid update on the Motley Crue biopic Dirt, based on the band’s tell-all autobiography co-written by Neil Strauss. The project has been kicking around since the mid-2000’s with Borat helmer Larry Charles once attached to direct from a script by Rich Wilkes (Airheads). At the time, it was set up at MTV Films and Paramount but the band slowly became disillusioned with their vision of the film. It has since changed producers, and yet ironically it is a frequent MTV collaborator who will now be taking over the reins to direct. Jeff Tremaine, director of the Jackass films, has signed on to helm Dirt. Here’s what he had to say about the announcement:

“We were deep into doing Jackass on TV and about to start doing Jackass: The Movie and we were all passing the book around and going, holy shit… We thought we were being crazy on the road. You read about these guys and it was like 10 times worse, though I think we’d done stuff that stands up to anybody else. I connected with that book on so many levels. From a band of brothers that gets ripped apart and then pulls back together, or being part of a group that is expected to behave badly, and what happens to you when that becomes your expectation. What happens when everybody encourages you and gives you money to be the worst behaved you can be? You can do no wrong, and the worse you do, the more you’re celebrated. It is a story that is somehow familiar to me.”

He also promises that although the movie will be funny, it will not be a comedy. It sounds like he’s got the right approach in mind and with an incoming script polish by Tom Kapinos (Californication), it seems that this project may finally have the right creative team behind it. Obviously casting will be just as important, but at this point I am feeling optimistic. Motley Crue have recently claimed that they are planning their farewell tour to coincide with the release of this movie. What do you think, will this be an ideal send-off and is Jeff Tremaine an inspired choice to adapt The Dirt?