Rapper RZA Set to Direct New Film ‘Breakout’

RZA in 'The Man with the Iron Fists'

RZA in ‘The Man with the Iron Fists’

Legendary rapper/producer RZA, is set to direct Breakout, a new thriller being released by Amasia Entertainment.

“RZA will direct from a script by Richard D’Ovidio, based on a story from Richard D’Ovidio and Nicole D’Ovidio about a young photographer falsely arrested in Bangladesh for drug trafficking,” Variety reports. “His prominent father enlists two old friends to help him break his son out of prison and uncover the truth.”

RZA’s first feature film, The Man with the Iron Fists, was not a financial or critical success, however, it remained clear that RZA had skill as a director, with an eye for action sequences in particular. RZA’s foray into television and film isn’t new. Since 1995, he’s served as a composer on multiple TV shows and films, including high profile jobs on Straight Outta Compton (2015), Django Unchained (2012) and Pacfic Rim (2013).

“The multi-talented RZA has mastered the art of music, acting and filmmaking,” said Amasia executives Bradley Gallo and Michael Helfant. “We are ecstatic to have him behind the camera on our next project as he brings a fresh and innovative take to this international action thriller from Rich D’Ovidio.”

RZA’s next upcoming film, Coco, will star Azealia Banks, Common, John David Washington, Hana Mae Lee and Jill Scott. It’s slated for a March 2016 release.

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top