Michael K Williams has enjoyed a healthy film career, cropping up in the likes of Gone Baby Gone and Brooklyn’s Finest. But his most memorable roles have been on television, most notably the shotgun-wielding vigilante Omar on The Wire. He’s looking to put something truly iconic up on the big screen too, signing on to play Wu-Tang Clan founding member and legendary rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Williams will portray ODB (real name Russell Jones) in Dirty White Boy, a film about his later years, at a time when he was preparing to make a comeback after a three-year stint in prison.
In a story that sounds almost unbelievable – but is completely true – a 22-year-old VH1 production assistant named Jarred Weisfield managed to talk his way into becoming Jones’ manager and, despite his relative inexperience and the drug struggles/mental problems of his client, actually managed to get his career back on track. A career that was then cut cruelly short by Jones fatal drug overdose in 2004 at the age of 35.
Brent Hoff, who worked at VH1 and met both men before ODB’s death, has written the script and We Own The Night director of photographer Joaquin Baca-Asay is stepping up to call the shots.