Alan Rickman Will Play CBGB Founder Hilly Kristal In Biopic

Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Hilly Kristal might not have been as famous as many of the bands he booked, but eventually, his club was. The New Yorker founded CBGB in Manhattan in 1973. It was originally intended to showcase country, bluegrass and blues artists, but when they weren’t available, Kristal turned the stage over to local punk and new wave acts. The Misfits, Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie and dozens of others took their opportunities and ran with them, achieving fame and fortune while passing on lasting credibility to Kristal and his venue.

The founder passed away a few years ago, not long after CBGB closed its doors over a rent dispute, but his legacy has lived on through hundreds of musicians he championed. Now, it will live on through Alan Rickman. The popular British actor has signed on to play Kristal in a new biopic that will chart the life of the club he stood watch over for so many years.

As of press time, the film doesn’t yet have a title, but it does have a script and a director. Randall Miller, probably best known for helming Sinbad’s House Guest, will direct, working from a script he wrote alongside Jody Savin. The two previously partnered with Rickman on Noble Son. Hopefully this project is seen by a few more people. According to THR, Lisa Kristal Burgman, the founder’s daughter, has also given her stamp of approval. She’ll lend her input along the way and receive a co-producer credit for her troubles.

I’m typically weary of any movie trying to chronicle a long gone atmosphere, but with Alan Rickman as the main character, it’s tempting to get really excited.

Mack Rawden
Editor In Chief

Mack Rawden is the Editor-In-Chief of CinemaBlend. He first started working at the publication as a writer back in 2007 and has held various jobs at the site in the time since including Managing Editor, Pop Culture Editor and Staff Writer. He now splits his time between working on CinemaBlend’s user experience, helping to plan the site’s editorial direction and writing passionate articles about niche entertainment topics he’s into. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in English (go Hoosiers!) and has been interviewed and quoted in a variety of publications including Digiday. Enthusiastic about Clue, case-of-the-week mysteries, a great wrestling promo and cookies at Disney World. Less enthusiastic about the pricing structure of cable, loud noises and Tuesdays.