Just a few hours ago we were admiring this Sesame Street and N.W.A. mash-up from 1994, and now THR is reporting that Friday director F. Gary Gray is in talks to direct an N.W.A. biopic. The filmmaker’s name was on a list of director’s being considered to helm Captain America 2, but it looks like this new undertaking may leave him with no time to work with the Marvel superhero.
The N.W.A. project (named after the group’s pioneering 1988 album) has been brewing since 2009 with multiple writers and co-producer Ice Cube — who joined the gangster rap group after co-founders Eazy-E and Ruthless Records’ Jerry Heller kicked things off for the west coast act. THR shares that former hip hop videomaker Gray beat out John Singleton, George Tillman, and Elgin James for the job.
It will be interesting to see if Gray’s relationship with Ice Cube — who worked with the filmmaker on Friday — colors how the dispute between Ice and the group went down. We’re guessing it won’t since Gray went on to direct videos with Dre, but it’s something to consider. Ice left over royalty disputes in 1989. Both sides fought it out through several tracks/albums, but things cooled after Eazy died in 1995.
Does Gray seem like a natural choice for directing?