Steel Dragon

Rock Star is a 2001 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Herek, written by John Stockwell, and starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. It tells the story of Chris "Izzy" Cole, a tribute band singer who ascends to the position of lead vocalist in his favorite band. The script was inspired by the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens, a singer in a Judas Priest tribute band who was chosen to replace singer Rob Halford when he temporarily left the band. After optioning the filming rights to a New York Times profile of Owens by Andrew Revkin, Warner Bros. Pictures hired Stockwell to write the script. Brad Pitt was initially signed to play the lead role, but left due to creative differences, and Wahlberg was eventually hired for the part. Rock Star was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 7, 2001, garnered mixed reviews from critics, and was a box office failure, grossing $19.3 million worldwide against a production budget of $38–57 million.