After what was reportedly an intense bidding war, Netflix has landed the rights to an Ava DuVernay-directed documentary on the late rapper, Nipsey Hussle.
The film is a co-production between DuVernay’s ARRAY and Hussle’s Marathon Films. Netflix took the rights in the deal, which is supposedly worth eight figures and in the teens. Deadline’s report also states that Hussle’s estate reached out to DuVernay “based on their admiration for her work on the likes of 13th and When They See Us.”
In an Instagram post, Lauren London confirmed that the deal is in the works but has not been finalized.
Competitors for the doc included Apple and Amazon. Another report from THR says that Apple was the frontrunner, but the documentary wasn’t going to sell for the $26 million like their Billie Ellish doc or the $25 million for their Rihanna doc.
DuVernay’s other upcoming projects include OWN’s Cherish The Day, premiering this week, and she’s shooting the HBO Max DC Comics pilot, DMZ, starring Rosario Dawson and Benjamin Bratt. She is also in the early stages of pre-production for Warner Bros.’ DC Comics film, New Gods.
