John Lydon has hit out again at his former Sex Pistols bandmates’ new Danny Boyle-directed biopic series, calling them “dead wood” and questioning their talents.
Pistol, which is due to premiere on Hulu (and Disney+ where Hulu isn’t available) on May 31, is based off founding member Steve Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from A Sex Pistol. The six-episode series is created and written by Craig Pearce.
Earlier this month Lydon branded the forthcoming show a “middle class fantasy” that “bears little resemblance to the truth” after claiming in 2021 that it was green-lit without his consent.
Now, in a new interview with The Sun, the Public Image Ltd. frontman took aim at Jones and drummer Paul Cook for allegedly removing him from the production process.
“Cutting me out is a shockingly stupid move,” Lydon said. “It’s so ridiculous. It’s so preposterous.
“They can all fuck off. I supported them for years and years and years, knowing they were dead wood.”
Lydon continued: “None of these fucks would have a career but for me. They did nothing before, they’ve done nothing since.”
The official trailer for the series arrived earlier this month.
Speaking to NME about the show recently, Anson Boon, who portrays Lydon in the series, explained: “This is the story of the underdog. I think that will always be a story worth telling and it will never not be relevant.”
Lydon has been relentlessly critical of Pistol, previously calling it “the most disrespectful shit I’ve ever had to endure”.
Last year, a spokesperson for the production said that Boyle had contacted Lydon’s management about the planned series but that “ultimately direct contact was declined”.
Lydon also lost a legal battle against his Sex Pistols bandmates over the series in 2021 after he refused to license the band’s music for inclusion in it.
Jones and Cook legally challenged Lydon’s veto, citing a band agreement made in 1998 that stated that decisions about licensing requests could be determined on a “majority rules basis” only.
The post John Lydon on his Sex Pistols bandmates’ biopic: “None of these fucks would have a career but for me” appeared first on NME.
