Writer picked for Rick James bio movie

HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Screenwriter Sheldon Turner has been signed to write the script for "Super Freak," a movie about colorful U.S. funk singer Rick James.

Turner -- who wrote the screenplay for the 2005 remake of "The Longest Yard" -- will work with the 400-page manuscript of a memoir James wrote before his death in 2004.

Turner told Daily Variety he was not envisioning a standard story about the drug-fueled rise and fall of a star. The plot will more likely focus on James' music and his associations with the rich and talented.

"Super Freak," which is also the title of one of James' biggest hits, will be produced by Apartment 3B Productions, Variety said.