Netflix is eyeing a Nipsey Hussle documentary
Director Ava DuVernay is in negotiations to helm the project
A documentary about late Los Angeles rapper and hero Nipsey Hussle could be coming to Netflix.
Hussle’s production company, Marathon Films, announced on Instagram on Monday that a feature film to be executive produced by Jay Z’s Roc Nation and Hussle’s children, Emani and Kross Asghedom, is in the works though “no final deal has been inked.”
Also reportedly “in negotiations” with Marathon are Netflix and ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ director Ava DuVernay, who is slated to co-produce the project for the streaming giant via her company, Array. DuVernay previously collaborated with Netflix for the Oscar-nominated criminal-justice doc “13th” and the Emmy-winning historical series ‘When They See Us’.
“This documentary is very important to the family and will not be fast-tracked by monetary gain and/or commercial interest,” the Instagram statement from Marathon read.
Hussle was killed at age 33 in March 2019 outside his store, Marathon Clothing, in South Los Angeles.
DuVernay has been vocal about her admiration for Hussle in the wake of his death and recently introduced a musical tribute to the “Racks in the Middle” hit maker at the 2020 Grammy Awards, featuring Meek Mill, DJ Khaled and John Legend. Hussle won two posthumous awards that night for rap performance and rap/sung performance.
It’s unclear whether DuVernay is planning to direct the Hussle film. A movie adaptation of the DC Comics series ‘The New Gods’ and an HBO feature about the 1973 Palace of Versailles fashion show called ‘Battle of Versailles’ are currently in the filmmaker’s coveted queue.
Her new romantic anthology series, ‘Cherish the Day’, premieres Tuesday night on OWN.