Jack O’Connell (Skins, Starred Up) has just been announced as the star of a forthcoming Shaun Ryder biopic. Ryder, the frontman of Happy Mondays, was a pioneer in England's Madchester music and party scene in the late '80s, merging alternative rock and rave culture. Director Matt Greenhalgh is basing the new film, Twisting My Melon, on Ryder’s autobiography.
“Shaun and the last true working-class band – the Happy Mondays – mainlined into my musical DNA when I was 16 years old," Greenhalgh tells the Guardian. "Ryder is the son of John Lennon, Johnny Rotten with a few kilos of John Belushi stamped in.”
Jason Isaacs (Star Trek, The OA) is allegedly in talks to play Ryder’s father, while Maxine Peake (Shameless) is in negotiations to play Ryder’s mother. Production is scheduled to begin in January.
