After his striking performance as Ian Curtis in the movie Control, we are convinced that Sam Riley will have no trouble playing another rock star.  This time around, instead of being a front man, we think Riley should sit behind the drum kit as Hunt Sales and revive some of the dance moves we saw when he played Joy Division’s lead singer. Sales gave Lust For Life the inextricable aggressive punch that is so crucial to Iggy Pop’s sound and his contribution to the title track is considered one of the most iconic beats in the history of rock-'n’-roll.

Iggy Pop is an unstoppable force. As a performer, he’s someone who pushes his body to its physical limit. At any moment, he might combust into thin air, with only a puddle of sweat to mark where his feet once clenched to stage. To play Pop, one has to be raw, unabashed, and comfortable with a wardrobe devoid of all torso coverings. Shia LaBeouf showed the world that he didn’t mind being in the nude when he bared it all in Sigur Ros’s music video for “Fjogur Piano,” so he should have no problem prancing around shirtless. At the same time, his comedic beginnings make certain that he’ll be able to channel the free spirit that Iggy Pop was so well known for.

On the final track of Lust For Life, in the song “Fall in Love with Me,” Iggy Pop melts into a stream-of-consciousness groove during an impromptu jam session in which all of his band members swap their instruments. The subject of this megaphone love song was his then-girlfriend, Esther Friedman, a woman who was both a muse and an avid documenter of Pop during his time in Berlin. Friedman is the quintessential rock-'n’-roll chick (she would have to be if she dated Iggy Pop). She wore tight cigarette-cut jeans like a second skin and in all her coolness, managed to make a slight mullet acceptable. If Mila Kunis can conjure the air of sassiness she pulled off in Black Swan a few years ago, she would be a perfect fit. Plus, Kunis was in That ’70s Show, so she’s already halfway into character.

For a short time, Lou Reed found himself living with Bowie and Pop in their West Berlin flat—a place where music-making coexisted with old drug habits. In one of Mick Rock’s more well-known shots, the trio is shown nestled under each other’s arms, posing for the camera with youthful and rebellious confidence. Other pictures reveal intimate moments of them at parties or backstage in close quarters. If these images tell us anything, it’s that Bowie, Pop and Reed had a special and inseparable bond. For a songwriter that was as complex, prolific. and infectious as Reed, it seems the young and talented Ezra Miller could do the job justice with his captivating vitality and preexisting background in music.

Brian Eno chimed in and out of Bowie and Pop’s lives while they were in Berlin as a producer and a friend. Like Bowie, Eno also embraced androgyny and is praised as the father of all things experimental. Best known as Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones, Alfie Allen carries a enigmatic demeanor that could easily translate into Eno’s character. Not to mention, he’s Lilly Allen’s younger brother, which means there’s a good chance that he’s got music in his blood. 

David Bowie has a sparkling aura and ineffable poise that is hard to match. While he has flipped through many different looks over the years, his time in West Berlin marked a tamer period in his fashion sensibilities. Bowie’s more androgynous look of cropped red locks and elaborate make-up were pushed aside for classic high-waisted suits and slicked back hair. His time in Berlin is also considered to be a particularly dark period, hence the 1977 album title, Low. Matthew Gray Gubler has directed a couple of music videos in the past and, with his equally slender and elegant physique, he just might have it in him to play Bowie. Although Gubler has mostly played goofier supporting roles in the past, this could be an opportunity for him to tap into his dark and sensitive side.