Asked point-blank whether the 'American Idiot' movie is actually happening, Tré Cool took a detour through the band's new film first. "I feel like there's probably more discussion now, because 'Nimrods' is doing so well," he told NME. "We've proven we can make records — and apparently we can make movies too. So let's do it. We'll make a musical. We could shoot 'Dookie' every morning..."
'Nimrods' is a fictional coming-of-age comedy written and directed by Lee Kirk, drawing inspiration from Green Day's early touring days. It follows three teenagers who mistakenly believe their band has landed a slot opening for Green Day on New Year's Eve. The band members play themselves in the film and also serve as producers. It opens in UK cinemas for a limited run on August 11. The movie features the new song "I'm Never Gonna R.I.P.," and the band pulled off a surprise performance at the LA premiere afterparty last week.
But when asked whether the 2004 rock opera album is especially suited for the big screen, Tré Cool immediately went on the defensive: "Yeah, we gotta do it right. Come on, we just put out 'Nimrods'! You guys are already pushing us to make another movie? It's like two weeks after a new album drops and everyone's asking, 'So are you going back into the studio?'" He then added, "I'll say this: we're incredibly proud of 'American Idiot.' That record means everything to us — it's not like we're not talking about it."
As for a full band biopic, Tré Cool confirmed that pitches like that do come up every so often, but he thinks the timing's off. "Every few phases, someone says, 'You guys should do a movie about your lives.' But we're not done yet. We don't want to sit down and look back, spinning our wheels, spending all our energy talking about what we've already done — because we're still out here doing it."
Rumors about an 'American Idiot' movie have actually been simmering for over a decade. Back in 2011, word got out that Tom Hanks was interested in producing. In 2013, screenwriter Rolin Jones said the script was in its "final stages." By 2016, Billie Joe Armstrong told NME that HBO had given the project a green light, and he expected to reprise his St. Jimmy role from the Tony-winning musical adaptation, describing the film as "surreal" and "offensive." Then in 2020, Armstrong flipped and said the project had "basically fallen apart." Last year, his tone turned optimistic again: "The musical's done really well — Australia, Italy, Germany, the UK, all of it... I think the movie's eventually gonna happen."
'American Idiot' marked a turning point for Green Day's career back in 2004, becoming an outlet for frustration during the Bush administration while also winning over a whole new generation of listeners. The 20th-anniversary reissue, released in 2024, included a new documentary, 15 previously unreleased demos, a live New York show, plus B-sides and bonus tracks.
