#Roommates, Hollywood continues its fascination with telling the stories of the lives of celebrities—and the legendary Rick James is up next. According to multiple reports, a limited series is currently in the works set to document the career and drama-filled personal life of Rick James.
@Deadline reports, Universal Content Productions (UCP) has just announced its plans to move forward with a project about the life of Rick James. Currently titled “Super Freak” after his classic hit song, the limited series is set to be produced by Ty James (the daughter of Rick James) and written by Randy McKinnon and Nick Antosca.
“Super Freak” is formally described as a funkadelic mix of music biopic and true crime. It chronicles Rick James’ plans for a comeback in the early 1990s amidst a heated trial that threatened to destroy his legacy. The story will touch on timely themes of race, privilege, and the gray area of image vs. reality for celebrities.
Speaking about the project about her father, Ty James stated:
“We are truly ecstatic about this new project with UCP and extremely excited to work with the writer Randy McKinnon. We are confident he can give the fans exactly what they have been waiting on, plus some. This will be a magic carpet ride, with ups and downs, joys and pain — a story of perseverance and tenacity, with the music being the greatest navigation system. Get ready for the ride of your lives — the story of James A. Johnson, AKA Rick James!”
This is the second project about Rick James in the works, as we previously reported back in September that a seven-episode miniseries titled “Brother’s Keeper” about James and his brother/former manager LeRoi Johnson, is currently in development with a projected 2021 filming date.
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