Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson will portray punk rock god Joey Ramone, in an announcement made 20 years to the day after the legend passed away.

The project is a collaboration between Netflix and STXfilms, who have partnered to develop and produce I Slept with Joey Ramone, a biopic chronicling the life of the king of punk. The movie is based on the memoir of the same name penned by Joey’s brother, Mickey Leigh. Joey Ramone died April 15th, 2001 after a seven-year battle with lymphoma. He was 49.

Ramone was born Jeffrey Ross Hyman in Queens, NY and first hit the scene as the singer of glam-punk avatars Sniper in 1972. He became the face of the Ramones (and adopted the Joey Ramone moniker) from 1974 until their disbandment in 1996.

The counter-cultural punk icons never achieved million-seller status for any of their 14 albums or individual solo projects, but the group’s single “I Wanna Be Sedated” was finally certified platinum 40 years after its release, in 2018.

Nick Cassavetes was originally tapped to direct the project, which has been in development since 2017. Now Jason Orley, who worked with Pete Davidson on Big Time Adolescence and Pete Davidson: Alive from New York will lens the project. Davidson’s involvement goes beyond the front of the lens; he and Orley adapted Leigh’s memoir into a treatment for the film and he serves as an executive producer alongside Leigh, Rory Rosegarten, and David Spiegelman.

The film will be made with the cooperation and support of the Estate of Joey Ramone and with the assistance of Rosegarten Films.

“When you share a bed with someone – and not just a bed, but a childhood, a family, and a lifetime – you know that person better than anybody else. Mickey Leigh not only collaborated with his big brother’s band – he has irreplaceable memories of and insights into Joey Ramone, having supported him when no one else would and witnessed him overcome adversity in the most dramatic way. I Slept with Joey Ramone is a great rock anthem that will make an equally great rock biopic, set apart by a universal story of family. Pete is perfect for this role and we’re excited he and Jason will be bringing this icon of rock to life and thrilled to be collaborating once again with our friends at Netflix.”

Adam Fogelson, Chairman STXfilms Motion Picture Group

Orley and Davidson previously teamed up on the feature film Big Time Adolescence, which Orley wrote and directed. Orley also directed Davidson’s standup special Alive from New York for Netflix.

I Slept With Joey Ramone continues Netflix’s relationship with STX who produced the Netflix series Rise of Empire: Ottoman, which is produced in collaboration with Karga 7. The companies have previously partnered on other films such as Work It starring Sabrina Carpenter.

Davidson’s future film projects include an appearance in The Suicide Squad sequel, out in August, and a starring role in Ian Edelman’s American Sole, which also hails from STXfilms.