Scott Weiland biopic will chronicle life of Stone Temple Pilots singer

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Before you go leavin' on a Southern train, you might want to stick around for this next bit of news. Dark Pictures is currently developing Paper Heart, a biopic based on the life and times of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland.

Dark Pictures and Orian Williams have procured the book rights to Not Dead & Not for Sale, Weiland’s memoir that was written with David Ritz. Jennifer Erwin, a dyed-in-the-wool Stone Temple Pilots fan who co-founded Dark Pictures with Anne Beagan, will pen the script. According to THR, Paper Heart will focus on Weiland's rock stardom, his fight with addiction, and comeback as a demi-god of the stage.

“It’s an honor to have the trust to tell Scott’s story and the ability to portray the lesser-known sides of him – the loving and tender man he was, the high school athlete he was, the melancholy soul he was, and the legendary frontman that he will always be,” Erwin said in a statement.

“Scott was glamorous, complicated, and wounded. His childhood had a big effect on his struggles with addiction,” Beagan added in her own statement.

Led by Scott Weiland, STP was a chart-topping rock behemoth with iconic songs like "Vasoline," "Interstate Love Song," and many more. Featured on iconic soundtracks for movies like The Crow, STP eventually disbanded. In 2002, Weiland joined former Guns N’ Roses members Slash (guitars), Duff McKagan (bass), and Matt Sorum (drums) to form a supergroup by the name of Velvet Revolver.

I once saw Weiland perform with Velvet Revolver as part of a double-bill with the Deftones at Madison Square Garden. Weiland was an animated ball of energy that evening, as he strutted around the stage in what looked like a biker daddy getup. Much like Cobain, Staley, and Cornell, Weiland is a talent that left the world far too soon.

Do you have a favorite Stone Temple Pilots album? Mine will always be Purple. That album soars from beginning to end and has remained a part of my music library for generations.