Magic Mike star Joe Manganiello has been granted Morrissey’s approval for a new film based on The Smiths music.
Manganiello, who has also appeared in True Blood, approached Morrissey with the idea for Shoplifters Of The World. The film is named after the band’s 1987 single of the same name and tells the story of a Smiths fan holding up a radio station at gunpoint and forcing them to play songs by the Salford band.
Manganiello will play DJ Mickey who works at the Denver radio station and is taken hostage by a fan distraught at the band’s split.
Speaking to Collider, Manganiello explained that the producers of the film paid a hefty fee to secure the music vital to making the project work
“Morrissey agreed to give us the catalogue for a nice, affordable fee. Well, it’s not cheap, by any stretch of the imagination, but we have Morrissey’s blessing to move forward with a the Smiths project,” he said. “It’s just really great to be afforded the opportunity to go out and tell stories that I’m really excited and passionate about, like that one.”
Shoplifters Of The World is not the only Smiths-related film currently in production. War & Peace actor Jack Lowden will play Morrissey in Steven, an unofficial film that focuses on his early life and the forces which led him to pursue a career in music.