Rick James Story to Be Filmed in Buffalo

Rick James' story will be filmed here in his hometown of Buffalo by a Buffalo-born director.

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The story of Rick James' life will finally be coming to fruition, according to WKBW. For the first time, Rick's family has given permission for a filmmaker to tell his story and use his music. The task will be taken on by Buffalo-born director, producer and actor Addison Henderson, who recently won "Best Screenplay" for his movie Givers of Death (G.O.D.) at The American Black Film Festival.

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The project developed though Addison's partnership with LeRoi Johnson, Rick James' brother,

“This is a project that I’ve wanted to bring to life for over 15 years. LeRoi is a mentor, and friend, and we reconnected last year while I was finishing G.O.D. I’m happy that we’ve created this partnership to bring this incredible story to life."

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Addison says the Rick James story will be written as a seven part scripted mini-series, according to WKBW. He told Channel 7 that his goal is to begin pre-production in the next year.

“For the past year we've been working on a screen script on my life as it is related to my brother Rick James. In working with Addison, I've found he has the drive, the know-how, and talent to produce and direct a groundbreaking film on a music icon. With his skills and my knowledge, together, we can make it happen. Looking forward to our partnership.” ~ LeRoi Johnson via WKBW