If you’ve been burning with “fire and desire” to see the life and career of Rick James played out on the small screen, then boy, have I got some good news for you!
Variety reports that Showtime announced that a new documentary about the legendary “Super Freak” singer will be headed to the platform with a premiere date set for Sept. 3. Directed by Emmy-nominee Sacha Jenkins, ‘Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury will explore the “peaks and valleys of James’ storied career to reveal a complicated and rebellious soul, driven to share his talent with the world.” Featuring rare archival performance footage, interviews from James and commentary from family and friends—including Ice Cube and Bootsy Collins—‘Bitchin’ aims to provide a more nuanced portrayal of not only the myth of Rick James, but the man himself.
A snippet on James’ career per Variety:
During the 1960s, he was in a band with Neil Young called the Mynah Birds that recorded and album for Motown. In the 1970s, he utilized many of the sexually upfront aspects of a stage show that Prince later coopted—and Prince even opened a tour for him in 1980. As a songwriter, performer and producer, he also collaborated with Joni Mitchell, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Nile Rodgers, Eddie Murphy, Teena Marie, The Mary Jane Girls and M.C. Hammer.
Previously, we also told you about the forthcoming limited series about Rick James expected to make its debut on UCP. Executive produced by James’ daughter Ty James, Super Freak is being described as “a funkadelic mix of music biopic and true crime. It chronicles Rick James’ plans for a comeback in the early 1990s amidst a heated trial that threatened to destroy his legacy. The story will touch on timely themes of race, privilege, and the gray area of image vs. reality for celebrities.”
‘Bitchin’: the Sound and Fury premieres on Showtime Friday, Sept. 3 at 9 p.m. ET.