Stone Temple Pilots Singer Scott Weiland Biopic In The Works
Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland’s story will be coming to the big screen. Dark Pictures have announced that they are in development on a movie, Paper Heart, based on the life of the former frontman of the Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, who died in 2015 at age 48.
Dark Pictures and Orian Williams have acquired the book rights to Not Dead & Not for Sale, Weiland’s memoir that was written with David Ritz. Jennifer Erwin, a diehard Stone Temple Pilots fan who co-founded Dark Pictures with Anne Beagan, will pen the script for the film adaptation of Weiland’s life that is set to meld rock stardom with a moving love story, the rock band frontman plunged into addiction and then fighting his way back to the top with comebacks.
“It’s an honour to have the trust to tell Scott’s story and the ability to portray the lesser known sides of him – the loving and tender man he was, the high school athlete he was, the melancholy soul he was and the legendary frontman that he will always be,” Erwin said in a statement. “Scott was glamorous, complicated and wounded. His childhood had a big effect on his struggles with addiction,” Beagan added in her own statement.
“We want to make the most authentic film possible about this remarkable artist. Beyond Scott’s page turning memoir, connecting with those closest to Scott is important to get the details right. We’re also thrilled to have access to his unreleased music for the film,” said producer, Orian Williams.
Weiland formed Stone Temple Pilots with brothers Robert and Dean DeLeo and enjoyed huge commercial success in the 90s. In 1993, the band’s debut album, Core, peaked at No 3 on the US Billboard 200, followed by even greater success a year later when STP released the No 1 album Purple, which contained several of their best-loved songs, including Big Empty, Vasoline and Interstate Love Song. In 2002, Weiland joined former Guns N’ Roses members Slash (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums) in their supergroup, Velvet Revolver. In 2005, the band was nominated for three Grammys for for their three million selling debut album, Contraband, Rock Album of the Year, Rock Song, and Hard Rock Performance for Contraband single, Slither, which earned them their first and only Grammy. Their second album, 2007’s Libertad, reached No 5 on the US Billboard chart, after which Weiland released a string of solo albums.