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Finn Wolfhard, best known to millions as Mike Wheeler on Netflix’s Stranger Things, is taking a leap from Hawkins to the Minneapolis punk scene. The actor, musician, and budding filmmaker is set to co-write a feature adaptation of Bob Mehr’s acclaimed biography Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements, chronicling one of the most influential — and chaotic — rock bands of the 1980s.
Wolfhard is teaming up with his father, Eric Wolfhard, to pen the screenplay, with producer Rich Peete (The Legend of Ochi, A24) on board under his Neighborhood Watch banner. The father-son duo first hinted at a secret music project in a recent Variety profile, with Finn noting:
“I’ve been writing a lot of music and writing this movie with my dad, which has been really amazing. It’s about a band that I think, weirdly, I have a lot in common with, a lot of the members. I can’t really talk about the actual band because I don’t have the rights officially yet,” Wolfhard said cryptically.
Now, the mystery is out — the band is none other than the Replacements.
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The Band That Changed Rock
Formed in Minneapolis in 1979 by Paul Westerberg, Bob Stinson, Tommy Stinson, and Chris Mars, the Replacements evolved from scrappy punk to pioneers of alternative rock with era-defining albums like Let It Be (1984) and Tim (1985). Their raucous live shows and notorious antics became rock legend — including a profanity-filled 1986 Saturday Night Live appearance that got them banned by Lorne Michaels.
Though they never achieved mainstream superstardom, their raw songwriting and reckless energy inspired an entire generation of bands, from Nirvana to Green Day.
Mehr’s Trouble Boys, published in 2016, is widely considered the definitive account of the group’s rise, collapse, and messy brilliance. The New York Times bestseller was named book of the year by NPR and Rolling Stone, and won Mehr a Grammy for Best Album Notes.
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For Wolfhard, the project marks another step behind the camera. He recently co-directed the horror film Hell of a Summer and is on his first solo music tour promoting his debut album Happy Birthday. Meanwhile, Stranger Things fans are counting down to the show’s fifth and final season, premiering on November 26 and concluding on New Year’s Eve.
What to Know
- Finn Wolfhard is adapting Trouble Boys with his father, Eric Wolfhard.
- The film will chronicle the Replacements, icons of punk and alternative rock.
- Producer Rich Peete (The Legend of Ochi) is attached.
- The project comes as Wolfhard also pursues music and directing alongside his Stranger Things farewell.
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