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The Next Major Hip-Hop Biopic Could Star Jonah Hill And Michael B. Jordan

We might just be getting the Def Jam story.

Straight Outta Compton,” the N.W.A biopic blockbuster, has been a critical and commercial success this year. Naturally, this means filmmakers are looking into other potential hip-hop stories for the big screen now more than ever.

So, what will the next huge biopic be? We've already heard those Dogg Pound and Tupac talks, but perhaps one of the next major biopics could also be based on Def Jam Recordings. Deadline reports that Universal is looking into the label as a possible option.

According to the report, Michael B. Jordan and Jonah Hill are being mentioned as possible actors to portray Def Jam cofounders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin.

The preliminary convos around this film have become serious, according to the report. The script, for instance, would be based on “Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, + God,” the 2002 book written by Simmons and author Nelson George. More specifically, Deadline said the movie would focus on the storied record label’s early years.

Simmons and Rubin launched Def Jam in 1984. The company famously got its start in Rubin’s New York University dorm room. Since then, they’ve worked with some of the genre’s most touted artists, including LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Public Enemy and Jay Z.

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