Precious and The Butler director Lee Daniels has revealed that he’s in talks to direct a musical biopic based upon his own life, which he’s comparing to Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 and Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz.
“My publicist will kill me, but I’m in talks about doing a musical film about my life,” Daniels told Billboard. “I’ve had a pretty interesting life. I’ve come from the projects. I’ve been homeless. It’ll have original music and sort of be like Fellini’s 8 1/2 or All That Jazz.”
No word yet if he plans to title it Lee Daniels’ Lee Daniels…
Daniels has previously spoken about his father, a Philadelphia police officer who was physically violent and abusive towards him after he came out as gay. His father was killed in the line of duty during Daniels’ teens, and he then went on to run is own nursing agency in California, before selling the company and joining the entertainment industry, initially as a casting directing.
He produced the critically acclaimed Monster’s Ball in 2001 under his Lee Daniels Entertainment banner, and has since directed Shadowboxer, Precious, The Paperboy and The Butler, as well as co-creating the TV series Empire.
Originally published October 2, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
