Radical Media, the production company with credits including doc “Paradise 3: Purgatory” and Sundance Channel skein “Iconoclasts,” has begun development on a documentary about the life of Nina Simone, partnering on the untitled pic with the Simone estate and the singer’s daughter, the single-monikered Simone.
Project is in its very early stages, with Radical in talks with potential directors and as well as with possible distribution partners, targeting a theatrical release. Jon Kamen, Justin Wilkes and Sidney Beaumont produce the brewing feature with Jayson Jackson and the performer’s daughter, both repping the singer’s estate.
The documentary is unaffiliated with the bio-pic that’s also in the works with Zoe Saldana on board to play the singer. Simone’s estate is not involved in that project.
Doc will incorporate previously unseen archival and performance footage following Simone’s life and career, from her youth in the south to her 2003 death in France. Jackson, a rep for the estate, brought the project to Radical.
A FremantleMedia company, Radical Media — which develops, produces and distributes a range of content from films to apps — has produced a string of docs with recent titles including “Paradise Lost 3,” which was nommed for an Oscar, and “Under African Skies,” the Emmy winning 2012 doc about the making of Paul Simon album “Graceland.”
