An authorized documentary on opera singer Luciano Pavarotti is in the works with Ron Howard directing.

Howard will produce alongside Nigel Sinclair, Brian Grazer, Michael Rosenberg and Jeanne Elfant Festa. Production companies are Imagine Entertainment and White Horse Pictures. The film will be made in collaboration with Polygram Entertainment and Studiocanal, which will co-finance the feature.

The untitled documentary will be produced with the full cooperation of the Pavarotti Estate, Universal Music Classics and Decca Records. Studiocanal and White Horse Pictures will also oversee international sales while White Horse will direct North American sales. No release date has been set.

Pavarotti was born in 1935 in Italy and died in 2007 of cancer. He began his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy and gave his final performance at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Howard said, “Pavarotti’s life was replete with the highs and lows of great drama and, like any compelling character, he was also a man of considerable contradictions. His artistic ambition, propelled by his massive talent, and his deep love for humanity drove his career and the powerful bond with his audiences, but they also fueled his other life as a world philanthropist. I am intrigued by the way his emotional passion not only drove his music and his powerful bond with his audiences, but his gift of his other life as a philanthropist.”

“Eight Days a Week” received a limited theatrical release in North America from Abramorama with 155 locations at its widest point on its way to grossing $2.9 million. Howard also directed Tom Hanks in “Inferno,” which grossed $220 million worldwide on a $75 million budget.

The news about the documentary was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.