Announced in march... Michael K. Williams will play Ol' Dirty Bastard, but not in a traditional biopic on the late rapper's life (one has long been rumored to be coming); rather seemingly as a character in someone else's story.
The project is titled Dirty White Boy and will center on...
... the astounding rise of Jarred Weisfeld, a 22-year-old VH1-intern-turned-manager, and his misadventures with the legendary rapper leading up to the performer’s tragic death in 2004...
... said the press release.
Although EW added this about 2 weeks ago:
[The film] is based on the final years of ODB’s life and will focus on the strange personal and professional relationship between the rapper and Jarred Weisfeld, a 22-year-old VH1 production assistant who eventually became ODB's manager in the early 2000s. The film will chronicle the beleaguered rapper's well-known addictions.
So maybe the film really will be about ODB, BUT told from the POV of the then 22-year old Weisfeld?
is based on the final years of ODB’s life and will focus on the strange personal and professional relationship between the rapper and Jarred Weisfeld, a 22-year-old VH1 production assistant who eventually became ODB's manager in the early 2000s. Watch The Video For 'Gone,' RZA's Tribute To Ol' Dirty Bastard The film will chronicle the beleaguered rapper's well-known addictions. ODB died of a fatal overdose in 2004 at the age of 35.At the time, Weisfeld told MTV News, "He was the complete opposite of what people made him out to be. He was a teddy bear."
The project is being produced by Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy - the producing team the Oscar-winning film Beginners.
To be directed by Joaquin Baca-Asay (his feature film debut), Dirty White Boy already has financing and is said to have the full support and co-operation of ODB's mother, Cherry Jones.
The last we wrote about the potential for an ODB film, RZA was the man behind the curtain; at the time, he said that ODB's estate was "kind of confused on what to do, and all the rights and all that shit, but it’s definitely been talked about. There’s also been talk about a Wu-Tang Clan movie. So we’ll see what life brings. In my opinion, I’d rather see an ODB pic than a Wu-Tang Clan pic, because Wu-Tang is still alive, and may be active for a few more years. But an ODB pic, just to really describe his life, would be good."
Later, in an interview with MTV, Michael K. WIlliams (while on the set of They Die by Dawn) reveals a number of things about the project worth knowing, like: He's doing a lot of research on ODB; he had the pleasure of meeting ODB's mother, and the talked for three hours, and she told him plenty about ODB that the public doesn't know; he's been talking to other people who knew ODB well and privately, and he's gotten lots of insight into who he was as a man and, "dare I say it, scholar;" that the film will be a straight drama piece - "no buffoonery, for lack of a better word," Williams said; and finally, that the film will cover the last two years of ODB's life, from when he was released from prison, to the day he died.
This morning, answering the question of who will be cast to play the rest of the Wu-Tang clan, since it's kind of obvious that they'd need to be represented in a movie about ODB's *active* years... in an interview with NY Daily News, Williams gave us a bit more news we could use, stating that the producers of the movie "have no desire to cast any actors as the Wu-Tang... We need all hands on deck." So I can only assume that this means we should expect to see the real RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and the other members of the crew, in the film, playing themselves obviously.
I suppose we should also assume that they have all agreed to the project...?
No confirmation of that... yet, so stay tuned.
I'm looking forward to getting our first look at Williams as ODB; might feel a little strange watching him be ODB while the rest of the Wu-Tang are themselves.
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