When one thinks of a possible Jay-Z feature film, the first collaborator that comes to mind is likely not Ron Howard. But such is the case, as we’ve learned the director of A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code and Frost/Nixon is teaming with the hip-hop icon to capture an upcoming concert, one he was heavily involved in creating.
New York Post reports that Howard and his longtime producer Brian Grazer are set to film Jay-Z‘s Made in America music festival, which kicks off on September 1st in Philadelphia. It won’t just be a simple performance documentary either, as Grazer said the film will be “born through Jay-Z’s perspective…how he puts the event together. Jay stayed the king for a very long time…I can’t even begin to explain how he is capable of remaining relevant. He is a phenom, like a musical Michael Jordan.”
At the festival, Jay-Z will be performing the first night, which I’m sure will be captured, but he’s also put together a line-up that includes a wide variety of performers such as Pearl Jam, Passion Pit, Dirty Projects, Odd Future, Drake, Run-DMC, Skrillex, Rick Ross, Janelle Monáe, Chris Cornell and more. Rarely do we get a behind-the-scenes look at such massive events, so I look forward to seeing what Howard comes up with.
That’s not the only news on the Jay-Z front, as New York Daily News (via Shadow & Act) have reported the star has teamed with his Watch the Throne cohort Kanye West, along with producers Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith to produce a documentary on the making of the aforementioned album. Plans are to premiere the film, directed by Power music video helmer Robert Lopuski, at Toronto International Film Festival in September, but a rep at MTV said no announcements have been made yet.
With the Smiths and Jay-Z also teaming for an Annie update, this collaboration makes sense. We’ll have to wait for confirmation, but with Jay-Z conquering the music, among other, industries, it’s no surprise feature films are next — with his wife Beyonce Knowles doing the same, of course.
Do you want to see the two documentaries featuring Jay-Z? What about him getting further involved in Hollywood?