A&E to Air First-Ever Ol’ Dirty Bastard Biography Executive Produced by Four Screens

A&E Network has announced they have greenlit a forthcoming documentary, Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The two-hour film will be the first official documentary about the Grammy-nominated musician and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan.

ODB, who was born Russell Jones in Brooklyn, New York in 1968, developed a distinct identity and rhyme style that distinguished him apart from his peers. ODB had a huge influence on a whole generation of fans and performers during his brief 35-year life and long after his death. This culture-defining special humanizes ODB as a man, a father, and a husband like never before, thanks to exclusive access to a never-before-seen personal archive shot by his wife, Icelene Jones, and access to his closest friends and family.

Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI, Black Art: In The Absence of Light) and his son Jason Pollard (Get Me Roger Stone, Bitchin’ The Sound and Fury of Rick James) co-direct this comprehensive documentary, which provides an intimate portrait of ODB’s life and reflects on his lasting impact on music and culture.

The documentary, which will be produced by Pulse Films in collaboration with Four Screens and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard Estate, will focus on ODB’s solo career from his first record release in 1995 until his sad death from a heroin overdose in 2004. The film will blend this present tale with looks back at his trauma-filled youth to investigate how it shaped the man and artist he would become, charting his stratospheric rise and heartbreaking fall. The documentary, which is a celebration of his artistry and legacy, takes an unflinching look at the complexities of his life, including addiction, adultery, fame, mental illness, sudden wealth, race, and criminal justice, and will ask how complicit the media and music industry were in hastening his death.

“I am thrilled to tell the full story of my husband. With this documentary the world will learn about the son, the husband, the father, and the artist,” said Icelene Jones. “I’m proud of the team that we built, including Pulse, my producing partners Nicole Beckett and Messiah Jacobs at Four Screens, and our directing team, the Pollards.”

“A&E continues to be an industry leader in definitive documentary storytelling,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for A&E. “‘Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard’ will present viewers with the untold story of the man and the musician who made an immense cultural impact across just a few short years.”

Pulse Films and Four Screens are producing Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard for A&E Network. Sam Pollard and Jason Pollard will direct the film. Pulse Films’ executive producers are Sam Bridger and Diene Pettrle, while their producer is Louis Mole. Four Screens and the Ol’ Dirty Bastard Estate will be represented by executive producers Messiah Jacobs, Nicole Beckett, and Icelene Jones. Executive producers for A&E Network include Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson. Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard is distributed worldwide by A+E Networks.

As more updates are available for Biography: Ol’ Dirty Bastard becomes available, we will provide them.