Alan Rickman as CBGB Founder Hilly Kristal is Just About Perfect

"Alan Rickman has signed on to play the legendary owner and founder of CBGB in Randall Miller and Jody Savin’s project revolving the seminal New York rock club. [...] Rickman will play Hilly Kristal, who in the late 1970s sought to create a venue for county, bluegrass and blues music (the 'CBGB' of the name) in New York City. But after acts playing that music were tough to find, Kristal allowed local performers to play. That decision was precipitous, as the club soon became ground zero for rock & roll as well as punk, launching the careers of performers such as The Ramones, Blondie and Patti Smith." On the other hand, this was supposed to shoot last fall; let's hope the Rickman coup pays off for the new June production date. Developing... [THR]