Gasoline, a story deeply set during the punk rock era of the 1990s, directed by James Merendino, with principal photography beginning this August. The feature project represents the filmmaker’s poignant return to the sub-culture that he brought to mainstream audiences almost 30 years ago.
A young singer, broke and clinging to sobriety, convinces his teenage brothers to take the family van and spend their summer performing dysfunctional shows across America. That is the messy, road-weary premise of Gasoline.
Though the story is based on true events with the band Eight Buck Experiment. Evan O’Meara, the band’s founder, produces the inde project. Merendino directs from his own script. Isen Robbins, Aimee Schoof and Megan Freels Johnston are producers from Intrinsic Value Films. Casting is underway with Kate Geller.
Merendino explained what drew him to the project. “I was so encouraged by a new generation’s growing enthusiasm toward old-school punk that I felt compelled to tell a new story driven by chaos and impulse,” he said in a statement.
SLC Punk!
The news is sure to excite fans of his previous work. Merendino is most recognized for his writing and direction of seminal dramedy SLC Punk!, which amassed a cult-like following long after its release.
The 1998 comedy-drama focused on Steven “Stevo” Levy. He was a college grad and punk. He lived in Salt Lake City in the mid-1980s. SLC Punk! was selected as the opening-night feature at the 1999 edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Merendino was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards for SLC Punk!. It went on to win the International Film Critics Award for Best Film. This occurred at the Mar del Plata Film Festival.
Punk’s Dead: SLC Punk 2
But he didn’t stop there. He wrote and directed the sequel Punk’s Dead: SLC Punk 2, which released in February 2016. Merendino went on to create and direct the 2022 television series Great Kills, a dark comedy mockumentary about a Staten Island small time hit man. The series was released by Tubi in March 2023 and renewed for another season soon after it aired.
He also launched a crowdfunding campaign on Crowdfundr in August 2025. This was for the documentary Only Posers Die: Why SLC Punk Lives On. He is seeking $60,000 to fund interviews. These will include cast members, crew, critics and fans. That endeavor speaks to just how closely Merendino has continued to keep a finger on the pulse of punk culture, even in between projects.
Gasoline now puts him squarely back in that space. With a story built on real events and a script he wrote himself, the film looks promising.
Production is set for this summer. It looks like one of the more grounded indie rock projects in the pipeline right now.
