Ava Duvernay has been tapped to direct and produce a feature-length documentary about Nipsey Hussle.
According to The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline, the film, which will share the life and legacy of the late, prolific rapper and community activist, is headed to Netflix after reportedly beating out both Apple TV and an Amazon in an intense bidding war for the rights to the film.
Nipsey’s estate reportedly reached out to Ava, who is known for her work on the Emmy-winning When They See Us, 13th and Selma, directly based on their admiration of her films.
While Netflix has yet to confirm the news, Nipsey's company, Marathon Films, announced on Monday (February 10) that it is "currently in negotiations with Netflix for this project with Ava DuVernay, and her company ARRAY to co-produce." The statement additionally revealed that the feature-length film documentary will be "executive produced by RocNation and [Nipsey's] two children Emani and Kross Asghedom."
"This documentary is very important to the family and will not be fast tracked by monetary gain and/or commercial interest," a statement posted to Instagram reads.
News of the Ava-directed documentary comes weeks after the esteemed filmmaker introduced a memorial performance in Nipsey’s honor at the 2020 Grammys. “Tonight we celebrate the enduring memory of an artist and a leader who made brave, brilliant strides to unite this community here in Los Angeles and around the world,” she said.
Roddy Ricch and Meek Mill went on to debut their emotional new song titled "Letter To Nipsey," in which they share the impact Nipsey had on their lives. Their tribute was followed by a performance from DJ Khaled, John Legend, YG and gospel singer Kirk Franklin, who came together to perform Nipsey's Grammy-nominated track "Higher."
The late rapper also posthumously won his first Grammy for best rap performance for “Racks in the Middle,” which also features Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy during the 62 annual ceremony.
Nipsey, born Ermias Asghedom, was tragically gunned down outside of his Los Angeles clothing store, The Marathon Clothing Company, in March 2019. He was 33-years-old.
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