Dennis Wilson / Aaron EckhartActor, Aaron Eckhart (Battle: Los Angeles, The Dark Knight), will portray The Beach Boys drummer, Dennis Wilson, in the upcoming biographical film The Drummer. Eckhart, by the way, is having to learn to play the drums and piano for the role.

The biopic focuses on the tempestuous life of the talented younger brother of The Beach Boys frontman, Brian Wilson. The film will follow the last six years of his life, including the fame of The Beach Boys, the drugs and decadence, and Dennis' most creative period before his premature death in 1983.

Although the film is set in the late 70s to early 80s, it will be interesting to see if The Drummer devels into or even mentions Wilson's unfortunate run in and involvement with convicted murderer and conspirator, Charles Mason, and the Manson Family, back in 1968. The Manson Family lived at Dennis Wilson's residence for a period of time, at his expense. Wilson, impressed with Manson's songwriting talents, is credited for introducing Manson to friends in the music business, which ultimately resulted in the 1969 Tate/LaBianca murders. Another interesting fact is that The Beach Boys released one of Manson's songs, originally titled "Cease To Exist," but revised it into "Never Learn Not To Love," which appears on the album, 20/20, and as the B-side to a single.

Among The Beach Boys, Dennis Wilson was the only real surfer, which is how he met his demise, drowning in the ocean shortly after releasing Pacific Ocean Blue, his first solo album.