In Paramount’s remake of The Italian Job Seth Green‘s character claimed to be “The Real Napster” claiming that college roommate Shawn Fanning actually stole his idea in the middle of the night, but it seems Paramount is out to right the ship as they have hired Alex Winter to pen Napster: The Shawn Fanning Bio Project along with MTV Films.
Variety reports that the idea was originally thought for a made-for-TV movie over at MTV back in 2002, but last year the project was decided to be ready for the big screen.
Not like it is any big secret, but Fanning was the man who brought copyright laws to their knees when he launched Napster back in 1999 from his college dorm room at Northwestern U. in Boston.
Originally developed for him and his high school buddies to swap music over the Internet, the software took over the scene prompting lawsuits from the Recording Industry Assn. of America, Dr. Dre and Metallica. I am sure you all remember Lars Ulrich’s ugly mug all over MTV complaining about music being stolen.
Napster filed for bankruptcy in 2002 but recently has hit the scene once again as a pay-for service.
If you are at all curious about who scribe Alex Winter is, think back to 1989 and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure as Winter starred as the ever so popular Bill S. Preston, Esq. opposite Keanu Reeves as Ted Logan as they made up the time traveling rock duo Wyld Stalyns.
