Wu-Tang Clan Members Will Play Themselves IN ODB FIlm

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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Michael K. Williams Meets With Ol' Dirty Bastard's Mum For Biopic Research

 Actor Michael K. Williams has delved into research for his upcoming role as OL' DIRTY BASTARD by meeting with the tragic rapper's mother.
The Wu-Tang Clan legend, born Russell Tyrone Jones, died of a drug overdose in November 2004, aged 35, and in a bid to preserve his lasting legacy, movie bosses are making a big screen biopic called Dirty White Boy.

Williams was recently tapped to lead the cast and The Wire star reveals he's begun working with the rapper's relatives and close friends to best capture the heart and soul of Odb.
He tells Mtv News, "I am doing a lot of research on Russell. I had the pleasure of meeting his beautiful mother, Ms. Cherry. We sat down for, like, three hours, and she told me the most amazing stuff about her son and a lot of things that the public didn't know.

"I've been talking to people who know him well... people who knew him when the cameras weren't rolling. I've got a lot of insight into who he was as a human being and as a man and, dare I say it, scholar. The dude was quite smart."
And Williams admits he's finally starting to feel the pressure of playing an icon, adding, "You have to know what you're talking about. It's a lot of studying, a lot of knowledge."
The film, which will primarily centre around the last two years of Jones' life, is being produced by Jay Van Hoy and Lars Knudsen, both of Beginners fame, with a screenplay by Brent Hoff, the star's former manager.

Michael K. Williams Speaks On Getting Into Character For Ol' Dirty Bastard Biopic

Actor Michael K. Williams explains how he's preparing to play Ol' Dirty Bastard in the biopic "Dirty White Boy."
Michael K. Williams is currently filming Dirty White Boy, an Ol’ Dirty Bastard biopic where he stars as the fallen rapper. During an interview with MTV News, the “Boardwalk Empire” actor explained how he’s getting into character for the flick and why ODB was much deeper than his persona let on.
"I am doing a lot of research on Russell," he said. "I had the pleasure of meeting his beautiful mother, Ms. Cherry. We sat down for, like, three hours, and she told me the most amazing stuff about her son and a lot of things that the public didn't know. I've been talking to people who know him well ... people who knew him when the cameras wasn't rolling. I've got a lot of insight into who he was as a human being and as a man and, dare I say it, scholar. The dude was actually quite smart. You have to be able to recite mathematics and be five percent God body — you can't play with that. You have to know what you're talking about. It's a lot of studying, a lot of knowledge."
He also spoke on the film being a drama, but said that there will be touches of comedy. The flick will cover the last two years of his life up until the day that he passed away.
"It's drama, but if you know ODB, there's going to be some comedy, but we're not playing to that. It's going to be shot as a straight piece, no buffoonery, for lack of a better word," Williams said. "It's only going to cover the last two years of his life when he was released from prison to the day he died. It's just an insight into what he struggled with in the public eye."

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Michael K. Williams to Play Ol' Dirty Bastard in Dirty White Boy (Video)

As the deadly stick-up man Omar Little on The Wire and the fearsome bootlegger Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire, actor Michael K. Williams has played his share of tough SOBs. Now he’s going to take on a bastard. An Ol’ Dirty one. EW has learned exclusively that Williams, 45, will star in an upcoming film about the legendary Wu-Tang Clan rapper and all-around troubled soul Russell Jones, a.k.a. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, whose impressive mic skills and outrageous showmanship were eclipsed by his erratic offstage behavior, assorted arrests, and an early death.Joaquín Baca-Asay, the cinematographer on We Own the Night, Roger Dodger and Jay-Z’s video for 99 Problems, is also joining the project, making his feature directorial debut.

The movie is based on the final years of ODB’s life — a true story that is nonetheless stranger than fiction. Titled Dirty White Boy, the film focuses on the offbeat friendship between the Wu-Tang Clan co-founder and Jarred Weisfeld, a 22-year-old VH1 production assistant who through a lot of hustle (and the occasional lie) talked his way into becoming the rapper’s manager when Jones was serving a three-year stint in prison in the early 2000s .Despite Weisfeld’s inexperience, and having a client whose talent was undermined by addiction and mental illness, the novice manager engineered an unlikely comeback — only to have it cut short by the star’s fatal drug overdose in 2004 at age 35. Dirty White Boy is being produced by Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, whose Beginners won Christopher Plummer an Academy Award last month. The screenplay is by Brent Hoff, who worked at VH1 and met Weisfeld and ODB when they were working on a reality show there.

The role of Weisfeld has not yet been filled, though the part may be particularly attractive now that it includes the chance to act opposite the acclaimed Williams. (Another movie about ODB, apparently penned by his cousin Raeshawn, is also in the works, with Eddie Griffin and Tracy Morgan being considered for the lead role.)Although Williams is older than ODB ever would be, anyone who has seen his work knows his skill at bringing complicated, charismatic, and disturbed characters to life — often with surprising tenderness. The only question is what will become of the actor’s distinctive facial scar. Should the filmmakers try to cover it up, or simply use dramatic license to make it a part of the character, even though ODB had no such mark?And who should play the eponymous dirty white boy? One look at Weisfeld in this screengrab of him with ODB from that VH1 documentary he was working on calls to mind Shia LaBeouf, or maybe The Social Network‘s Andrew Garfield (soon to be seen as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man). Jonah Hill’s recent Oscar-nominated turn in Moneyball showed off the actor’s dramatic chops and could put him in the running.Weisfeld, now of the literary management and production company Objective Entertainment, is cooperating with the project, along with ODB’s mother, Cherry Jones. The film will be produced through Knudsen and Van Hoy’s Parts & Labor company in partnership with producer Todd Hagopian’s Ocean Size Pictures. Williams is represented by Sam Maydew and Matt Goldman at The Collective, while Baca-Asay is represented by CAA. The independent film is being financed by K5 International. Since the film is clearly a mix of tragedy and surreal comedy, the role of Weisfeld demands someone who can balance both. So who would you put in the role, Inside Movie readers? Maybe it should be an actor who, like Weisfeld himself, emerges from out of nowhere.

Wu Discples, what do you think of this casting?

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