Run-DMC Movie Planned by 'Notorious' Screenwriter

The screenwriter who brought the story of Biggie Smalls to the big screen with "Notorious" is at it again. This time, Cheo Hodari Coker is working on a script chronicling the story of rap pioneers Run-DMC based on the book "Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Bill Adler, Run-DMC's longtime publicist and the author of "Tougher," is a former hip-hop journalist who was the second full-time employee at Def Jam Recordings, working with a who's who of the label's legendary roster, including Kurtis Blow, the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and Public Enemy. Adler, who went on to found the Eyejammie art gallery in New York, will executive-produce the film.

Following the arc of the book, the "Tougher Than Leather" movie will lay down the history of hip-hop's first superstars, profiling the Hollis, Queens, trio that included Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and late DJ Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, who was murdered in a still-unsolved crime in his Queens studio in 2002.

In this movie based on the early days of Def Jam Recordings, up-and-coming manager Russell Walker has all the hottest acts on the record label Krush Groove records, including Run-D.M.C., Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Kurtis Blow, while Rick (Rubin) produces their records. When Run-D.M.C. has a hit record and Russell doesn't have the money to press records, he borrows money from a street hustler. At the same time, Russell and and his brother Run are both competing for the heart of R&B singer Sheila E.