LL
to star in and executively produce remake of
cult classic "Dolemite" -
July 25
Dimension Films has made a deal to remake the blaxploitation cult pic "Dolemite," which is being reconceived for LL Cool J to play the title role. "Dolemite" was released in 1975 and starred Rudy Ray Moore, who also toplined two sequels that came out in the blaxploitation craze that included "Superfly" and "Shaft." Four major studios bid for the remake rights.
The picture will be scripted by Buddy Johnson, who wrote "Not a Teen Movie," the Columbia teen spoof film produced by Neal Moritz. Moore, who currently does standup, will advise on the film and play a role. The new "Dolemite" will loosely follow the original, but will be contemporized. LL Cool J will play a flashy entrepreneur who's been framed by a rival, who planted drugs in his nightclub. When the freshly paroled Dolemite is denied admittance to his club and finds out that the rival took over and is dealing drugs there, Dolemite goes into revenge mode, with the help of his trio of butt-kicking female friends --
purportedly lethal enough to open up a can of whupass on Charlie's Angels.
"Dolemite" will be produced by Irving Azoff, Jon Jashni and Rick Alexander, the trio also producing "Conan the King" for Warner Bros. They landed the rights from Moore's distribution partners Leigh Savidge and Stephen Housden of Xenon Pictures, who'll be co-exec producers on the film. LL Cool J, the rapper-turned-actor who has shown charisma and leading man potential with films like "Deep Blue Sea," and "In Too Deep" will be executive producer. He'll next be seen onscreen starring with Chris Klein in the John McTiernan-directed remake of "Rollerball" for MGM.
Who is Dolemite? Well for those unfamiliar with him, let me give you to a quiick overview before you start exploring.
Basically, Dolemite began as a "toast," which is simply a story told in rhyme-form handed down verbally. One of the characters immortalized in the street-side "toasts" was Dolemite, the King of all Pimps and Hustlers.
As a young man, Rudy Ray Moore was working hard at a record store in Los Angeles where one of the local toothless bums would come around asking for money for food. In return, Rudy would ask the bum to recite the story of Dolemite. Every time the story was told, it was a hit. As a budding comedian, Rudy saw that he should put the story on vinyl. Dolemite premiered on the album "Eat Out More Often." After several months on Billboard's Top Twenty Charts, Rudy got some of his close friends togeher and brought the character toe hte movie screen in 1975. The movie mad Dolemite not only the King of Pimps and Hustlers, but the King of Blaxploitation Movies.
Dolemite
Trailer | Dolemite
Theme | The
Human Tornado Theme | The
Creepers Theme
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