Alicia Keys is to produce a biopic about the life of choreographer Alvin Ailey.
The singer-songwriter is partnering with executives at Fox Searchlight on the upcoming project, which will be based on Jennifer Dunning's 1996 book, Alvin Ailey: A Life in Dance.
Ailey was an African-American dance choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City and is often credited with popularising modern dance. His signature work, titled Revelations, drew upon his upbringing in Texas, as well as blues, spiritual and gospel music.
Keys will produce the film with Susan Lewis under their AK Worldwide production banner, along with Judy Kinberg, Rachel Cohen and Jana Edelbaum from iDeal Partners. The producers will team with Robert Battle and Emerita Judith Jamison, artistic directors at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, with the biopic receiving approval from officials at The Ailey Organization.
"We are thrilled to be working with these incredible partners to bring to the screen the amazing journey and revolutionary choreography of Alvin Ailey, whose life and legacy profoundly impacted people of all backgrounds around the world," said Battle in a statement, according to Deadline.
Ailey joined The Horton Dance Company in 1953 at the age of 22 and made his debut in Revue Le Bal Caribe before going on to perform in several Hollywood films.
He formed his own group, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1958, with his dance style influenced by ballet, modern dance, jazz and African dance techniques. In 1977, Ailey was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1988. He died at the age of 58 in 1989, from HIV/AIDS, and in 2014, was selected by U.S. President Barack Obama as a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A title or release date for the film has yet to be announced.
