Genre: Biography.
Studio:
New Line Cinema.
Production Company:
Woods Entertainment.
Project Phase: Script Stage.
Who's In It: Unknown.
Who's Making It: Jamal Joseph (Screenwriter); Cary Woods (Producer); based on an article that appeared in The New York Times.
Premise: DeWitt White was just another statistic like so many children of poverty in the Bronx -- his mother had dropped out of school when she got pregnant during her teens and his father was just a memory. But White proved himself to be different in one major way: introduced to the piano when his mother bought him a Casio keyboard, the boy quickly established himself as a prodigy who could play Beethoven's most difficult compositions. By the age of 15, White had performed as a student at Carnegie Hall. His musical talents were in marked contrast to the way he looked, with a hip-hop hairstyle and a t-shirt of his favorite rap group, the Wu-Tang Clan.
After a meteoric rise which startled his music teacher and his family, White nose-dived. Already having trouble in the classroom and dealing with the pressure of the streets, he succumbed to the temptations of the latter after his mother died from AIDS. Despite the best efforts of teachers certain his musical prowess would be his ticket out of the ghetto, White began dealing crack. Caught selling on the turf of another crack dealer, White was shot in the back and killed last fall.
Release Date: Unknown.
Comments: With the right director, this movie could be a contender for a few Academy Awards down the road.
Rumors: Unknown.
Scoop Feedback:
[Page draft submitted by piano prodigy 'Deadpool'.]
April 14, 1998... Daily Variety reports that New Line Cinema and producer Cary Woods have joined forces to turn the life of ghetto-born piano prodigy DeWitt White into an inner-city version of Shine. Woods Entertainment and New Line beat out other suitors for the life story of White, a bonafide classical piano genius killed selling crack at age 17. The deal was an option against a mid-six figure sum if the movie is made. "His is one of the most moving stories I've ever read," said New Line President Michael De Luca. "It was an important movie, and we wanted to be part of it."
New Line is looking for an A-list filmmaker to bring White's story to life. Woods' VP Gina Mingacci worked with Gotham-based New Line executive Amy Henkels to track down the rights after a story about White ran in The New York Times newspaper. The deal seals life rights of his music teacher and White's aunt and older sister, who were represented by attorney John Limotte. Woods has also made contact with Wu-Tang, whose leader, RZA, was also classically trained and was touched by White's story. There's a good chance the group will become involved in a creative or soundtrack capacity. [Scoop provided by 'Deadpool'.]
November 23, 1998... The Untitled Dewitt White Biopic now has a title (Life in a Minor Key) and a screenwriter (Jamal Joseph). [Scooped by 'Deadpool'.]