"Twilight" Star Kristen Stewart Cast As Joan Jett For Runaways Flick

Twilight actress Kristen Stewart is set to make the jump from emo vampires to punk rockers after being cast as Joan Jett in the upcoming Runaways biopic. The film, called simply The Runaways, will be written and directed by music video vet Floria Sigismondi (Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People," the White Stripes' "Blue Orchid"). The biopic will focus on the band's "meteoric rise as teenagers to their dissolution and disillusionment." Additional casting for the roles of keyboardist Cherie Currie and guitarist Lita Ford has not been announced yet. The Runaways are generally regarded as the first all-girl rock band and stayed together for roughly four years. Jett went on to have an even more successful solo career. Though the casting of Stewart as Jett bothers us a lot less than having Kirsten Dunst play Debbie Harry, is she T-U-F-F enough to fill Jett's leather boots?

Related Stories:
• On the Travers Take: Peter Travers Reviews Twilight
• The Runaways' Sad Song: New Documentary Shows the Dark Side of the Original Riot Grrrls

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter