Overpraised Barry Jenkins Set to Direct Alvin Ailey Biopic

It’s great living in a world where a director like Oscar winner Barry Jenkins has the ability and freedom to make any movie he damn well wishes to make. After all, the man is visually gifted, especially in his talent for immaculately conceived close-ups. However, I can’t say the substance in “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Moonlight” warranted all those over-the-top raves from critics. There was something lacking in the rather simple ‘Beale’ story and ‘Moonlight,’ despite an absolutely enveloping first two acts kind of fell apart for me in its last third. Alas, I am still very much anticipating Jenkins’ fourth film [via Deadline] which will have him team up with Fox Searchlight for an as-of-yet untitled film based on the life of choreographer Alvin Ailey.

The deal also mentions that Fox will be working with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater company, “which granted full cooperation from the organization that controls the rights to Ailey’s choreography.” The package also includes the rights to Jennifer Dunning’s biography “Alvin Ailey: A Life In Dance.”

Screenwriter Julian Breece (“Buppies,” “When They See Us”) has been hired to pen the screenplay.

As per IndieWire:

“Ailey, who passed away in 1989, was a celebrated African-American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (which is still going strong in NYC) and the Ailey School in New York City. Ailey helped popularize modern dance, and his “Revelations” is widely considered to be best known modern dance piece in history.”