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John Singleton is Working with Rapper Ice Cube on an N.W.A Biopic

by James Wallace
September 20, 2011
Source: The Playlist

While doing press for his new film Abduction starring Taylor Lautner, director John Singleton briefly spoke to The Playlist about re-teaming with his his Boyz n the Hood star Ice Cube for a project very close to the rapper-turned-actor's heart; Straight Outta Compton, the long-gestating biopic of the late '80s/early '90s Compton, California-based rap group N.W.A. of which Cube was an original founding member. While Singleton didn't have much to say about the project since it's in the early stages of development, he indicated it has a strong script and that both New Line Cinema and Ice Cube are on board.

Singleton had this to say about the film's status:

"I can’t talk too prematurely about the stuff I’m doing because nothing’s come to fruition yet, but Cube and I are talking about doing the N.W.A. story… The script is really, really good, and so we’re just figuring it out. New Line really wants to make it."

Who that script is written by, at least in terms of the latest draft, is unclear. Andrea Berloff (World Trade Center, the upcoming Fugees biopic), S. Leigh Savidge (The Legend of Dolemite, director of Welcome to Death Row a doc about Death Row Records), radio veteran Alan Wenkus and Matt Alvarez (a producer on most of Ice Cube's films) have all had their names attached to the project so it very well could contain elements from all four writers. If so, it seems like a good team whose past and future credits qualify them to tell the story of one of rap's greatest and most notorious ensembles hailed by Rolling Stone as 1 of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" list (despite only having two albums). Not to mention that Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, and Dr. Dre will also serve as producers on the film.

As for Singleton in the director's chair, I can think of no better director for the biopic - with early credits such as Boyz, Baby Boy, Poetic Justice, and Higher Learning - which may allow him to return to his roots of hard edged street dramas that he made a name on. The big blockbuster Abduction will return him to the big screen after a 6 year hiatus between now and 2005's Four Brothers so lets just hope it doesn't take that long to get Straight Outta Compton on the streets.

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