Morrissey has given Joe Manganiello his blessing to make a Smiths film

Frontman Morrissey has approved the project, apparently, which sees Manganiello star as a character called DJ Mickey. Showbiz411 report that the film centres on an (essentially fictional) incident in the 1987, which saw a Smiths fan hold a Denver radio station hostage and force them to play Smiths music on repeat after hearing that they were breaking up.

Manganiello's brother Nick is reportedly on board to produce, with Stephen Kijak writing and directing. Speaking about the project in 2014, Manganiello said:

"It's written by this writer/director named Stephen Kijak. He had a previous relationship with Morrissey, and Morrissey agreed to give us the catalogue for a nice, affordable fee. Well, it's not cheap, by any stretch of the imagination, but we have Morrissey's blessing to move forward with a the Smiths project. I'm a huge the Smiths fan. It’s just really great to be afforded the opportunity to go out and tell stories that I’m really excited and passionate about, like that one."

This isn't the first that we've heard of the film. Back in 2012, Zosia Mamet and Skylar Astin were among those touted to be cast in the movie.

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