It looks like Francis Lawrence has dropped out as director of the upcoming Sublime biopic. Lawrence is now officially busy making another ‘Hunger Games’ movie, and has been replaced by indie helmer Justin Chon (“Blue Bayou,” “Gook,” “Ms. Purple”)
Chon is also writing the screenplay with screenwriter Bobby Hundreds, based on Chris Mundy’s original draft. Lawrence is now executive producing. The film is seemingly still in development, but things could start moving fast in the coming weeks.
As I had first reported in May 2023, KJ Apa is going to play Sublime lead singer Bradley Nowell. Who is Apa? He’s a New Zealand-born actor primarily known for his role as Archie in the CW drama “Riverdale.”
Apa is also a musician, so that helps. In 2021, he released his debut album, “Clocks”, which was recorded in the folk rock genre. Not totally in Sublime’s genre of music, but it’s a major plus for the role.
Deadline’s sources say Apa spent almost two years chasing the role, sending in numerous self-tapes to show his dedication, and finally having multiple meetings with producers and execs who soon realized he was perfect for the role.
Sublime was an American ska punk band from California and they defined the mid ‘90s for a lot of people. Their number one single “What I Got” still gets played on the radio. Just as their music was gaining notoriety on radio, their lead singer and guitarist Nowell died of a heroin overdose at the age of 28. Sublime stopped when Nowell died and that was the end of that.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.