HBO is prepping a four-part documentary on the the partnership between Dr. Dreand Jimmy Iovine entitled The Defiant Ones. The movie, directed by Allen Hughes (Menace II Society), will feature in-depth interviews with the pair as well as Bono, Nas, Ice Cube, Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg. Probing the dynamic duo’s longtime business and personal relationship, it will follow their respective paths through the music industry as solo acts and their wildly successful partnership on Aftermath Records, discovering Eminem and collaboration on the Beats Electronics headphones brand.
Looking at their massive impact on pop culture and technology — including the 2014 purchase of Beats for $3 billion by Apple — the film is slated to debut on the channel in 2017. “‘The Defiant Ones’ has everything you expect in a great story — drama and humor, tragedy and triumph,” said HBO president of programming Casey Bloys in a statement announcing the project. “Allen Hughes takes you on a journey through some of the most important flash points of popular culture, and I’m delighted that we can bring this unforgettable saga to our viewers.”
Described as “an unquestionably bold film about the unlikely but ultimately unbreakable bond of trust and friendship between two street-smart men from different worlds who have shaped many of the most exciting and extreme moments in recent pop culture,” the movie was filmed over a three-year period and also features interviews with such music industry titans as David Geffen, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Bruce Springsteen and will.i.am.
Viewers can also expect never-before-seen footage from recording and writing sessions with Eazy-E, JJ Fad, Stevie Nicks, N.W.A, Petty, Springsteen and U2. “This revealing, compelling and often-gritty story takes place in recording studios, in humble homes and massive mansions, in criminal courts and in the highest corridors of corporate power,” reads the announcement. “Hughes artfully shows how decades of defiance and determination helped Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre build a few empires, make a series of American Dreams come true and transform two American street kids from different tough neighborhoods into a global force to be reckoned with, here and now. The result is a master class in how to work your way up from the bottom to beyond your wildest dreams.”
