While it was generally always assumed that Marvel would be doing a sequel of their Captain America film after their super hero team-up project The Avengers got out of the way, it was only recently that the film was made official. Marvel Studios announced that they’re looking to give us the second installment of the star-spangled super hero’s adventures come April 4, 2014, and a short list of possible directors who may take on the project included names like Community directors Joe and Anthony Russo, The Adjustment Bureau director George Nolfi, and Law Abiding Citizen director F. Gary Gray.
Short as that list is, today a news report from Deadline Watts has made it even shorter. It turns out F. Gary Gray can no longer be considered a front runner to get the Captain America job, because he’s just signed on to make a biopic of the legendary rap group N.W.A. instead. Calling back to one of the group’s most famous releases, the film will be called Straight Outta Compton. Set up by N.W.A. member turned actor Ice Cube’s production company Cube Vision, Straight Outta Compton is a story that details the formation of the seminal gangsta rap group, which, in addition to Cube, included Eazy-E, Arabian Prince, DJ Yella, MC Ren, and Dr. Dre (the one with the headphones, not the fat one from Who’s the Man?).
Gray began his career as a director by making music videos for groups like Cypress Hill, R. Kelly, and even Ice Cube himself, so theoretically he should be a good choice to step into the weird world of bitches and hos and tell the story with a touch of authenticity. Whether or not this picture will be enough to make up for all of the street cred Cube lost when he made Are We There Yet? though…that’s another question entirely.
Correction: In the earlier version of this post, we spelled Eazy-E’s name incorrectly.