The long-gestating Mötley Crüe biopic based on the band's The Dirt memoir appears to finally be grinding into gear — and it has the casting announcement to prove it.

Variety reports that rapper and actor Machine Gun Kelly is in line to play Crüe drummer Tommy Lee — news Kelly confirmed on Twitter, where he told followers that he "kept it in the family" by convincing producers to hire his younger brother to teach him how to play the drums, a skill he's vowed to acquire before filming starts.

As fans are aware, the production has spent years in development. Director Jeff Tremaine was hired to helm The Dirt five years ago, and although he's periodically issued assuring updates and has promised fans "a great movie," there's been no real indication that the project was a major priority for Focus Features, where it landed in 2015.

Kelly's arrival, however, could be just the first in a series of developments surrounding the film. In fact, Lee shared his own behind-the-scenes tidbit with fans yesterday, surprising Twitter followers with the news that cameras were set to roll in a matter of weeks. "Hey kids! Good news," wrote Lee. "The Mötley Crüe movie 'The Dirt' has begun pre production! Starts shooting in Feb! Here we go!!!"

It's still unclear who'll be playing the other members of the band, or when and how Focus intends to release the final product. But as anyone who's read The Dirt already knows, there's more than enough for a movie in the book. Getting started was harder than anyone expected, but once those cameras start rolling, making an entertaining movie out of the Mötley Crüe story should be the easy part.

More From Classic Rock Q107