RJ Cyler, best known for Power Rangers, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Netflix's War Machine, and that annoying anti-smoking commercial set at prom, will play Luther "Luke" Campbell in The Book of Luke. Based on Campbell's memoir, the Craig Williams-penned adaptation will follow the sexually explicit hip hop group, which became famous for their 1989 song, "Me So Horny", as part of their best-selling As Nasty As They Wanna Be album. In 1990 Florida courts legally labeled the album as an "obscenity", going so far as to prosecute retailers who sold it. This was challenged all the way up to the Supreme Court in a landmark case on free speech, turning the previously poverty-stricken Campbell into a national hero. It's worth noting that Campbell would eventually get into a major beef with N.W.A. and other "gangsta rappers", leading to Dr. Dre's hit diss track, "Dre Day".
I joked with friends that a 2 Live Crew movie was inevitable, but I didn't think it would be so soon and certainly not with Cyler in the lead role. It's a pleasant surprise, however. Doubtful this will have the same level of impact as Straight Outta Compton, which had a number of factors working in its favor. Makes me wonder if they'll find a way to work that beef with N.W.A. into the story somehow. [Deadline]
