Michael K. Williams to Play Ol' Dirty Bastard in the Feature 'Dirty White Boy'

Michael K. Williams will star as the late hip-hop artist Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a.k.a. Russell Jones, in the feature film Dirty White Boy, based on the true story of Jarred Weisfeld, a 22-year-old VH1-intern-turned-manager, and his misadventures with the legendary rapper leading up to the performer's tragic death in 2004. 

our editor recommends

'Community's' EP Dan Harmon on How 'The Wire's' Michael K. Williams and Biology Define Season 3 (Video)

David Simon Weighs in on Arrest of 'The Wire' Actress

Joaquin Baca-Asay is making is feature directorial debut on the project, working with an original screenplay by Brent Hoff.

Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy – the producing team behind Beginners, for which Christopher Plummer received an Academy Award – are producing with Todd Hagopian of Ocean Size Pictures. Oliver Simon and Daniel Baur´s K5 International is financing the film and handling all worldwide sales.

STORY: Michael K. Williams Calls Community Set "Insane"

The project, which originated at Ocean Size, has the full support and co-operation of Weisfeld as well as Jones’ mother, Cherry Jones, the producers said.

“We both knew full well who Ol' Dirty Bastard was but this story completely floored us. As filmmakers, we knew that this would make a great film and that Jarred Weisfeld would offer an actor a complicated and compelling character to play,” Knudsen and Van Hoy said in a statement. 

Williams, who has played Omar Little on The Wire and Chalky White on Boardwalk Empire, is repped by The Collective.

Baca-Asay began his career as the director of photography on Dylan Kidd’s Roger Dodger, Mike Mills’ Thumbsucker, and James Gray’s We Own the Night and Two Lovers, as well as the comedy Super Troopers for Jay Chandrasekhar.  A director of both commercials and music videos, he is repped by CAA. 

Hoff, the co-founder of Wholphin DVD, was recently awarded a Tribeca Sloan Grant as well as the 2011 FIND film grant.