Unclaimed Freight’s Randall Miller and Jody Savin, the filmmaking team behind Bottle Shock, return with a biography about the Beach Boy who drowned in Los Angeles in 1983.
Principal photography is scheduled to commence in spring /summer 2012 in California and Meddin Studios in Georgia to coincide with the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys.
Savin wrote the screenplay and Miller will direct, as they did on Bottle Shock. The partners will produce with Brad Rosenberger, the former svp of Warner-Chappell Music Group who brought the project to the filmmakers.
The Drummer charts the final six years of the life of Wilson, who played drums, wrote and sang for the band and was the only member to surf. His death came shortly after the release of his solo album Pacific Ocean Blue.
Eckhart will serve as executive producer alongside the band’s former manager James William Guercio. The film will feature music from Pacific Ocean Blue, as well as previously unreleased Dennis Wilson tracks and songs from The Beach Boys.
In the pipeline for Unclaimed Freight is CBGB, a film about Hilly Kristal and the legendary underground rock club, which is ready to shoot in February. The team recently completed principal photography on Savannah starring Jim Caviezel, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jaimie Alexander.
Jonathan Gardner of Cohen/Gardner negotiated the deal on behalf of the producers with Tracey Brennan of CAA and David Matlof of Hirsch/Wallerstein on behalf of Eckhart.
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