Wu-Tang Clan Member Confirms An Ol' Dirty Bastard Biopic Is Coming

After years of speculation, Wu-Tang Clan founding member RZA has confirmed that a biopic based on his cousin and late group member Ol' Dirty Bastard (real name Russell Jones) is in the works. 

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the 46-year-old rapper said of the project, "I think it's a great idea, and there has been talk about it."

"There are a few wheels in motion with one done by our first cousin Rayshawn; he was the young guy there watching everything that happened. Him and ODB's wife have been talking and he has a pretty interesting script. I just saw a 12-minute teaser that he shot about a year ago and it felt pretty fucking cool. I watched it and was like, 'Wow, you may have something here.' He has the best thing that I've seen so far."

Having starred and directed in a number of films including the upcoming action thriller Breakout, RZA is considering whether or not to direct the new film, though he admits the critically acclaimed NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton (which also picked up an Oscar nomination last week) proves that "hip-hop is a marketplace in cinema".

"I always believed that the art we was creating was audio-visual, and it was headed towards visual-audio. And that's why you see me in this world — my own heart drove me here — and I'm glad that a movie like that breaks out and does such numbers that it's almost undeniable," he said of SOC, which now holds the record for highest grossing musical biopic of all time.

"It showed that with the proper team and marketing, many of us out here who grew up on this music would love to see the inside makings of those stories."

Ol' Dirty Bastard tragically passed away in 2004 from a drug-induced heart attack and RZA believes a film would help cement the late artist's legacy that was cut short at just 35-years-old. 

"An apple tree just grows up as a tree first," RZA said. 

"If you cut it down, it's just wood. But if it continues to grow, it produces fruit, and then it grows even more and that fruit will fall off the tree and produce more trees. But somebody like ODB, Pac or Biggie were strong trees that were cut down early, so we didn't get a chance to see the full blossom of what they would've done."

Meanwhile Wu-Tang Clan are heading to Australia next month for a national tour — for more details, check out theGuide.