20 Years Later, We’re Getting the Keith Moon Biopic

Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images

All generations are excited that The Real Me, the long-gestating biopic about Who drummer Keith Moon, will begin shooting this summer after two decades in film purgatory. Variety reports that both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are supporting the film as executive producers, which will follow Moon — the human embodiment of spontaneous combustion — during his ascent as one of the most famous drummers in rock history. Further plot details are being kept under wraps, as well as whoever is cast as Moon, who died at the age of 32 in 1978. The Real Me, mega-Who fans can tell you, has served as one of Daltrey’s passion projects; the biopic was first announced in the very early aughts, with Daltrey keen on an Ally McBeal–era Robert Downey Jr. in the role. Fast-forward a few years later to 2005, and Mike Myers was set to play Moon before the project fizzled out. Now, Daltrey just has one key requirement for the casting. “It’s going to be very, very dependent on the actor and the actor’s eyes,” he explained in 2018. “Because you’ve got to cast it completely from the eyes because Moon had extraordinary eyes.” As well as, we can only assume, a natural inclination to put dynamite in a drum kit.