John Lydon Sued By Former Sex Pistols Bandmates

They’re Taking It To The High Court in London

John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, has been sued by his former Sex Pistols bandmates Steve Jones and Paul Cook over music licensing in an upcoming television series by Danny Boyle titled Pistol, coming to FX on 2022.

The six-episode series is based on the 2018 autobiography by guitarist Steve Jones, Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol. Apparently, Lydon refused to license their music, and so Jones and Cook took it to the High Court in London on Thursday. They argued that under the terms of a 1998 agreement, licensing requests would be made on the basis of “majority rules”.

Back in April, Lydon alleged that they made the biopic without his consent and he planned to sue them. He called it “the most disrespectful shit I’ve ever had to endure.” According to him, Boyle didn’t reach out and talk to him about the project. He also argued that Jones’ memoir painted him “in a hostile and unflattering light.” Boyle’s camp, however, countered that “direct contact was declined” by Lydon.

A month later, the band’s former muse Jordan Mooney claimed that Lydon was snubbed because he was just “too difficult to work with” and he’s the type who “argues for the sake of arguing.”