David Bowie‘s time spent in Berlin, Germany in the late 1970s – during which time his roommate was Iggy Pop – is the stuff of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll myths. Now it seems these tales will come to life in a new biopic about Bowie and the Stooges frontman, tentatively titled (after the latter’s heroine-inspired hit) Lust for Life.

Bowie relocated to Germany in late 1976 for the avant garde art scene and the collaboration of Pop, Brian Eno and more. Bowie would go on to make albums that comprise his Berlin triology: 1977′s Low, 1977′s Heroes 1979′s Lodger, while simultaneously working with Pop on his first two solo albums, The Idiot and Lust for Life (both in 1977).

“[Lust for Life] is not a traditional rock biopic, for no one dies at the end,” producer Egoli Tossell said in a statement.

It’s an unconventional biopic in more ways than that, however. The central character of the film will be rather obtuse, with The Hollywood Reporter noting, “the central character of the film will be the divided city of West Berlin, which in the 1970s became a magnet for artists, hedonists and political activists of all stripes.”

Gabriel Range (Death of a President) is will direct the U.K. and Berlin-based production. The screenplay is reportedly based on Bowie and Pop biographies from Mojo‘s former editor, Paul Trynka, respectively titled Starman: David Bowie and Open Up and Bleed: Iggy Pop.

In a 2001 interview with British rock mag Uncut, Bowie described his time in Berlin, which he left around 1980, as “an irreplaceable, unmissable experience and probably the happiest time in my life up until that point.” Bowie recently paid homage to Berlin in his new single “Where Are We Now?” He sings about his old Berlin hangouts and visits the city in the song’s video.

- Jillian Mapes, Radio.com