It’s been recently announced that Ava DuVernay will direct and produce a documentary on Nipsey Hussle for Netflix, after an intense bidding war ensued.
The doc will be co-produced by DuVernay’s production company ARRAY and the late rapper and activist’s Marathon Films. Deadline, without citing a source, reports that Netflix secured the project for a “high eight figures.”
The same Deadline report also claimed — again without citing a source — that Hussle’s estate contacted DuVernay to direct the documentary, because they liked what she did with “When They See Us,” a film that she directed for Netflix about the Central Park Five.
The estate admired DuVernay’s 2016 documentary “13th” as well, which focuses on race, the criminal justice system and mass incarceration, and it’s the last documentary the 47-year-old has directed, the report claimed.
Hussle was shot and killed on March 31, 2019, in South Los Angeles in front of his Marathon Clothing Store.
A man named Eric Holder was then arrested on April 2 in Bellflower, California, and was charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder — for also allegedly shooting a man and his nephew — and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Holder has pleaded not guilty and is still behind bars awaiting trial.
Hussle was honored at the 62nd Grammy Awards last month with a musical performance by Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch, YG, Kirk Franklin, as well as John Legend and DJ Khaled, who performed “Higher,” a song that features Hussle.
The cut won the Grammy award for Best Rap/Sung Performance.
DuVernay introduced the musical tribute and said the iconic artist “Made brave, brilliant strides in his community.”
