The director of the forthcoming KISS biopic, “Shout It Out Loud“, has promised fans that the film will be a “face-melting” cinematic event, vowing to capture the band’s explosive energy and their world-changing impact on music history.
Speaking at a panel during the “KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas” event on November 15, director McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) and producer Mark Canton (300) laid out their ambitious vision for the film. McG, a former music video director whose feature films include “Charlie’s Angels” and “Terminator Salvation“, made his intentions clear.
“I think KISS is the most exciting rock n’ roll band in history, and because of that, we owe the [KISS] Army the most exciting film in history,” McG declared (via Blabbermouth).
McG explained that the film’s power comes from the band’s origin story, which he described as “far more strange than fiction” and “the ultimate rock n’ roll fantasy.”
“[It’s] two buddies, a cab driver [driving] to Madison Square Garden [saying], ‘One day, that’s going to be me,’ and a substitute teacher whose mother is a Holocaust survivor,” McG said, detailing the humble beginnings of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. “Against all odds, didn’t get it done as Wicked Lester, put the paint on, developing personas, it’s the ultimate rock n’ roll fantasy, and it’s going to kick your f**kin’ a**.”
The director’s primary goal, he explained, is to make the audience feel the physical heat and energy of a KISS show, the same way the band’s live albums broke them into the mainstream.
“My goal is to give everybody something you can go to the theater and just have your face melted and just feel the heat coming off the stage — and for that matter, coming off the screen — which is what I get so excited about at a KISS show,” he said.
Beyond the pyrotechnics, McG argued that the film will portray KISS as a cultural “inflection point,” framing them as true disruptors on par with a tech revolution.
“I think more than any other band in the history of rock n’ roll, there is rock n’ roll before KISS, and there is rock n’ roll after KISS,” McG stated. “If you think of ‘The Social Network‘ — there was the world before Facebook, then Facebook happened, and it was forever changed… Rock n’ roll was pretty straightforward until KISS came along and blew it up, literally and figuratively… Taylor Swift has pyrotechnics. That all traces back to KISS.”
Producer Mark Canton echoed this, adding that the film will be “affirmational” and more than just a music movie. “We’re really focused on good stories well-told. It is not just about the event — it’s about telling a story about these two incredible individuals who came together against all odds,” Canton said. “We’re really proud of the screenplay. We feel like it’s going to be not just a fun movie, but a great movie.”
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