Andre 3000
Shamberg
Sher
NEW YORK -- Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher's Double Feature Films is developing a contempo musical to be toplined by rapper Andre Benjamin and penned by Tony-winning "Avenue Q" scribe Jeff Whitty.
Benjamin -- who goes by the alias Andre 3000 in rap duo OutKast -- will play someone with magical powers who comes into the lives of a family. He'll also serve as a co-producer on the pic and create original music.
Benjamin's acting credits include Double Feature's "Be Cool"; Shamberg and Sher said they realized Benjamin had leading-man potential based on his turn in that Elmore Leonard adaptation.
The pair aim to make a film that's hip but also harks back to the golden age of Hollywood tuners, in which characters spontaneously break into song. "We're going back to the heyday of Hollywood," said Shamberg, "in that they'll be singing and dancing in the action. But they do that 24/7 on MTV. It's what every teen is used to."
Benjamin has been on a roll of late in Hollywood: He just wrapped HBO musical "Untitled Outkast Movie" and will appear in Guy Ritchie's "Revolver" as well as John Singleton's "Four Brothers" alongside Mark Wahlberg.
Double Feature's credits include "Along Came Polly" and "Garden State."
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