Robert Pattinson Eyed For Green Day's 'American Idiot'?

With the end of the "Twilight" franchise in sight, will star Robert Pattinson follow the lead of "Harry Potter" actor Daniel Radcliffe and segue into the land of musical theater? Maybe, if Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong has his way. The rumor that Pattinson could be eyed for the lead role in the big-screen adaptation of the Green Day album/Broadway musical "American Idiot" picked up some serious steam this week. The only problem is that the "news" is not exactly new, but rather based on speculation from Armstrong more than two years ago, before Pattinson was, well, mega. Asked who he would like to play Christian, the male lead, Armstrong told Spinner.com in an April 2009 interview, "I'm gonna say maybe that kid in 'Twilight,' [Pattinson]. He's a good actor. There's still more to come with that kid." So, why is the quote picking up steam now? You can thank VH1's rebooted "Pop Up Video," which recently recycled the rumor when it ran a version of GD's "21 Guns" with a series of bubbles that read, "Hollywood is trying to turn it into a movie ... Billie Joe has said that his first choice to play the main character: Robert Pattinson." The movie, being produced by Tom Hanks' Playtone in collaboration with Green Day, is currently in pre-production and no casting has been announced. At press time, MTV News could not reach Playtone or Green Day for comment on the rehashed Pattinson rumors or any other casting news. If true, the choice of Pattinson would not be that outrageous. In addition to being one of today's hottest young male stars, RPattz is still in search of a role that would help him break free of the "Twilight" orbit, and he has a musical background. In addition to playing guitar and piano, he composes his own songs, two of which appeared on the "Twilight" soundtrack. He also contributed three songs to the soundtrack of the little-seen "How to Be." Like the musical, the movie will be based on the band's 2004 album of the same name, which tells a story of love, loss and war. The Broadway production integrated songs from the original album as well as its follow-up, 21st Century Breakdown, and a previously unreleased tune called "When it's Time." The movie is tentatively slated to hit theaters in 2013. For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images