Michael K. Williams to Play Ol’ Dirty Bastard

Michael K. Williams has landed the role of Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

EW.com reports that Williams, who currently stars on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, will star in an upcoming film, tentatively titled Dirty White Boy, about Wu-Tang Clan rap star the late Russell Jones b.k.a Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The film will center on the offbeat friendship between the Wu-Tang Clan member and Jarred Weisfeld, a 22-year-old VH1 production assistant who, through a lot of hustle and a few half truths, finessed his way into becoming ODB’s manager when the troubled rapper was serving a three-year stint in prison in the early 2000s.

Weisfeld, who had no managing experience, surprisingly orchestrated ODB’s unlikely comeback until the star’s fatal drug overdose in 2004 at age 35.

Cinematographer Joaquín Baca-Asay, who worked on Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” video, is set to direct the picture.