Back in 2012, Front Row Features first reported that the life story of former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan would be the subject of a film produced by Rainstorm Entertainment. Based on McKagan’s bestselling 2011 autobiography, It’s So Easy And Other Lies, it will be directed by Christopher Duddy (Cougar Club). Producing the film are Steven G. Kaplan (The Big Empty) and McKagan. The film is set to open in theatres on June 3rd.

Movie Hole recently caught up with Duddy to discuss the project. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about “It’s So Easy And Other Lies”?

Duddy: "It’s So Easy and Other Lies is a autobiographical story about rock star Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver, Janes Addiction, Loaded and many other bands. The movie is based on Duff’s New York best selling autobiography with the same title. The book is a collection of non-linear memoirs reflecting his early life, his rise to fame and then his dark side with drug and alcohol abuse that almost killed him and then his redemption and journey to sobriety and clarity. The movie is told through a unique one of a kind stage show where Duff himself reads portions of his book while a rock orchestra scores the storytelling on stage intercut with never seen before footage of the early GNR club shows in the mid 80’s and from Duff’s personal vault of home movies and photographs. The movie is wall to wall music with the live unplugged versions of classic GNR and Velvet Revolver songs."

Q: What was it like working with Duff McKagan?

Duddy: "Well, Duff is an interesting guy. He’s really down to earth for a huge rock star so, that being said,  it made it easy for me to connect with him on a very human level which is where I needed to get to with him to be able to convey his story the way he wanted to portray it on screen. It can be a very scary place opening up your life and pulling back the curtains just enough to let everyone see in and not just see the good stuff, I mean he is extremely honest about his dark days with drug and alcohol addictions. That can be a very humiliating place to put yourself in with this kind of documentary and he was extremely conscious of not letting it become a self indulgent, self righteous, superficial fluff piece film about himself. So in that regard, it was a difficult film to make to find the right balance but ultimately it became more about the music, Duff is all about the music. He was in several bands while we were making the movie and he would constantly go on tour and at the same time the whole GNR reunion debate was going on and this was all happening during the coarse of a three year span that it took to complete the movie. So he was like a ping pong ball bouncing hard and swift, back and forth. But in the end, it was an amzing journey for me and it allowed me to experiment and grow as a storyteller and a filmmaker."

Go  to this location for the complete interview.

The movie is set to document the remarkable life of one of the founding members of both Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver. It is the story of the Seattle musician’s rise to the pinnacle of fame and fortune, his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction, his personal crash and burn, and his phoenix-like transformation via a unique path to sobriety and eventual redemption. The book was a bestseller, with the film being targeted at not only McKagan’s fans, but to fans of his bands, Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and Loaded.

“We are thrilled to partner with Duff McKagan on this impactful documentary which transcends the rise, fall and redemption of a rock star and delves into real life issues of addiction and sobriety,” said Kaplan.

Further details can be found here.