The Replacements Hits the Big Screen: Biopic in Development From Wolfhard Brothers
The Replacements were a Minneapolis-based rock band (known initially for punk rock, and then as major players in the shift from punk to alternative rock) that rose to prominence in the 1980s and disbanded in 1991, with a brief reunion between 2012 and 2015. Their story was chronicled in Bob Mehr’s 2016 biographical book, which was titled ‘Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements.’ Now, the band will receive its first biopic treatment with this book’s forthcoming screen adaptation.
A Family Collaboration
This biopic of the Replacements will be written by two Wolfhards: father Eric Wolfhard and his son Finn. Of the two, Finn Wolfhard is already well-known for his work as both an actor and a musician. In 2017, at the age of 14, he starred in the Stephen King film adaptation ‘It,’ and since 2016, he has accrued a massive fanbase for his ongoing central role as Mike Wheeler in another ’80s-set horror property: the ‘Stranger Things’ series. He was lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for a rock band called Calpurnia between 2017 and 2019 (the span of time between the band’s founding and disbandment), and in June of this year he released his first solo album, ‘Happy Birthday.’
Eric Wolfhard is a researcher studying the land rights of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. His only previous film credit is as a producer of the 2021 short film ‘Night Shifts,’ which his son wrote and directed. Finn Wolfhard has directed one feature-length film – the 2023 slasher movie ‘Hell of a Summer,’ which he co-directed with Billy Bryk. The Replacements biopic will be produced by Rich Peete of the Neighborhood Watch Films production company. No director has been named at this time.
What to Expect – An Overview of the Subject Matter
The Replacements are known as one of the most influential musical groups of the 1980s, but also arguably one of the most notorious. For the first few years following their founding in 1979, the band’s output was hardcore punk, but they subsequently began incorporating stylistic elements from other genres, making them key early figures in the burgeoning musical subgenre that became known as “alternative rock.”
At the same time, the Replacements were well-known for their wild, often intoxicated behavior during live performances, and even the band members’ unity proved unstable. Their guitarist Bob Stinson was discharged in 1986 for his drug and alcohol habits, and the Replacements disbanded in 1991. In 2012, two of the band’s four original members regrouped. In a 2015 interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, one of these members, Tommy Stinson, was quoted as saying: “We dipped our toe in the water, and it didn’t feel so good.” The Replacements disbanded again that same year.
‘Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements’ has been well-received critically since publication; Variety proclaims it to be “widely regarded as the definitive chronicle of the Replacements.” Will the Wolfhards and their team be successful at turning this first-rate source material into a stellar biopic? It’s impossible to say at this point, of course, but considering Finn Wolfhard’s established tenure in both filmmaking and music, we can certainly hope for the best.
