Michael Shannon Joins RUNAWAYS

If Heath Ledger wasn’t nominated for his Joker role in The Dark Knight, that best supporting actor Oscar would’ve easily gone to Michael Shannon. If you haven’t seen Revolutionary Road, I suggest rent it as soon as you can because Shannon’s magnificent performance literally stole the screen from Leo and Kate.
Shannon won’t have to doing many indie gigs for a while like he used to… because big budget offers are rolling in from left and right. He’s already in JONAH HEX and the remake of 13.

According to Hollywood Reporter, he’s signed on to star as one of the male leads in the biopic project THE RUNAWAYS based on the life of the first all female rock band in the 1970s led by Joan Jett and Cherie Curry who will be played by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning.
No word yet on which character that Shannon will play and whether or not he’ll be personally or professionally involved with either one of the four members of the band.

THE RUNAWAYS is based on Jett’s 1970s girl rock band named The Runaways, the members were guitarists Jett and Lita Ford, drummer late Sandy West, singer-keyboardist Cherie Currie and bassist Jackie Fox.The band lasted about four years together, falling apart over management and money issues. The film will revolve around Jett and Currie and follow them from the band’s meteoric rise as teenagers to their dissolution and disillusionment
Written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, The film is expected to start production in 2009 and will work around Kristen Stewart’s NEW MOON schedules.