First Official Ol' Dirty Bastard Documentary in Works

Ol’ Dirty Bastard is getting the doc treatment, and with the full backing of his estate, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal.

A&E Network has greenlighted a two-hour film — the first official feature documentary — about the late Wu-Tang Clan founding member and a hip-hop icon whose legacy of lyricism and MC skills is matched only by the wild stories from his personal life.

With the working title Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard, the film will be co-directed by Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning director Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, Black Art: In the Absence of Light) alongside his son Jason Pollard (Get Me Roger Stone, Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James). Having gained exclusive rights to a never-before-seen personal archive shot by his wife, Icelene Jones, alongside access to his closest friends and family, the doc is described by the filmmakers as a “culture-defining special” that “humanizes ODB as a man, a father and a husband like never before.”

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Produced by Pulse Films (Beastie Boys Story, Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Katy Perry’s Part of Me), with Four Screens and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard estate, the documentary will center on ODB’s solo career, from his first album release in 1995 until his untimely passing from a drug overdose in 2004. Charting his meteoric rise and heartbreaking fall, the film will look to interweave this modern narrative with looks back at his trauma-filled childhood to examine how it influenced the man and artist he would become. A celebration of his artistry and legacy, the documentary is billed as an “unflinching look” at the complexities of his life including addiction, adultery, fame, mental illness, sudden wealth, race and criminal justice and will attempt to ask the question of just how complicit the media and music industry were in hastening his demise.

“I am thrilled to tell the full story of my husband. With this documentary the world will learn about the son, the husband, the father and the artist,” said Jones. “I’m proud of the team that we built, including Pulse, my producing partners Nicole Beckett and Messiah Jacobs at Four Screens, and our directing team, the Pollards.”

Born Russell Jones in 1968 in Brooklyn, New York, ODB developed a unique persona and rhyme style that set him apart from his contemporaries. In his short 35 years of life and long after his passing, ODB has had a significant influence on a whole generation of fans and performers.

“Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard will present viewers with the untold story of the man and the musician who made an immense cultural impact across just a few short years,” said A&E’s executive vp and head of programming, Elaine Frontain Bryant.

“At Pulse Films we are passionate about making music documentaries that tell intimate, and unique stories about the world’s most iconic artists,” said Sam Bridger, executive producer for Pulse Films. “ODB completely redefined what it meant to be an MC. A genius who lived and breathed his art. We are thrilled to have Sam and Jason Pollard on board, who are the perfect filmmakers to tell this amazing story for the first time. There will never be anyone quite like ODB and we are so grateful to his family and friends of for inviting us into his world.”

Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard is produced by Pulse Films and Four Screens for A&E Network. Bridger and Diene Petterle will serve as executive producers and Louis Mole and Nelesh Dhand will serve as producer for Pulse Films. Jacobs, Beckett and Jones will serve as the executive producers representing Four Screens and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard estate. Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks will hold worldwide distribution rights for the film.

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