A Preview Of Michael K. Williams’ ODB

It’s not in production yet or even really close to shooting, but you may remember that frequent creator-of-classic-HBO-characters Michael K. Williams (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) has been lined up to play the Old Dirty Bastard in a biopic for some time. The film still has licensing to figure out and most casting still to lock down, but theoretically it’s still in the works. Halfway through last year there was some suggestion of momentum, including hints that the Wu-Tang Clan members would be more than welcome to play themselves in the film.

In any event, the first we’ve heard of the project in some time is that Michael K. Williams actually popped up at a Sandy benefit concert in New York and got a little practice playing the ODB on stage. Naturally some video got loose and we here now have our first taste of Williams in the role, though the quality ain’t high. That said, it’s still clear Williams has managed to capture something of ODB’s unique vocal charm without too much impersonation going on, and can surely handle himself on stage.

Hopefully we’ll hear something about the project with concrete dates or evidence of movement soon.