LONDON, England - Punk rock singer John Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, is re-forming his band Public Image Ltd - or PiL - after a 17 year hiatus with a five-date tour in December, according to media reports.

Lydon told Britain's Guardian newspaper that the influential band he created in 1978, a year after the disintegration of the Sex Pistols, and which lasted for 14 years, would reform with a new line-up.

He said the new-look PiL will not contain original band members Jah Wobble or former Clash guitarist Keith Levene but will feature guitarist Lu Edmonds, drummer Bruce Smith and a new arrival, multi-instrumentalist Scott Firth.

PiL, which had chart success with singles such as "Public Image" and "This Is Not a Love Song", will start its tour on Dec. 15 in Birmingham.

The band is also launching a new website (www.pilofficial.com).

"We'll see where we can go," 53-year-old Lydon told the newspaper. "Some things may be quite similar, some may not."

Lydon reunited with other members of the Sex Pistols last year for a series of gigs to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's seminal album "Never Mind The Bollocks".

But Lydon, who became a figurehead of the short-lived punk revolution in England in 1970s with his anti-establishment stance and attacks on Britain's class system and the monarchy, appears to have mellowed in recent years.

He starred in British reality TV show "I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" in 2004, has hosted a few animal documentaries, and also starred in an advertisement for butter wearing a tweed-suit.

He also has no tolerance for noisy, opinionated youngsters any more, it seems.

"Younger people at the moment are very mouthy and aggressive," Lydon told the Guardian.