2 Live Crew is getting the big-screen treatment thanks to Lionsgate.
The studio is partnering with Temple Hill to develop The Book of Luke, which will tell the story of the hip-hop group that went from Miami to the Eleventh Circuit. The feature will be adapted for the screen by Craig Williams from the memoir Book of Luke: My Fight for Truth, Justice and Liberty City.
The movie will focus on 2 Live manager/hype-man Luther Campbell, who was sued for copyright infringement in a case that eventually made it to the supreme court, where a landmark ruling established that commercial parodies, such as 2 Live Crew’s “Pretty Woman,” can qualify as fair use.
Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing for Temple Hill, which has a long working relationship with Lionsgate that includes that Twilight franchise and, more recently, Power Rangers.
The Book of Luke isn't the studio's first foray into hip-hop biopics. On Friday, Lionsgate will release the Tupac movie All Eyez on Me, which is the one of the many projects that are centered around the iconic rapper. (A Steve McQueen doc and USA series, Unsolved, are also planned.)
Williams recently penned Pandemonium, a movie about WWE founder Vince McMahon that is set up at Sony.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
