Ava DuVernay To Direct Multi-Part Prince Documentary For Netflix

Acclaimed director Ava DuVernay is working on a multi-part Netflix documentary about late singer Prince, she confirmed on Twitter.

“Prince was a genius, a joy, and a jolt to the senses,” DuVernay wrote. “He was like no other. He shattered preconceived notions, smashed boundaries, and shared his heart through his music. The only way I know how to make this film is with love and great care. I’m honored to do so and grateful.”

Production on the documentary began earlier this year. DuVernay was granted full access to Prince’s estate, including unreleased songs, and she and her team have been spending time at Prince’s Paisley Park home and recording studios over the past few months, Deadline reports. The series will the entire life of the singer, who died in 2016 at age 57 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl.

DuVernay has a number of hefty screen credits, including the critically-lauded 2014 film Selma and last summer’s A Wrinkle in Time, which made her the first black woman to direct a film with a $100 million-plus budget. With Netflix, she directed the award-winning 2016 documentary 13th, about the intersection of race and the U.S. criminal justice system.

Other projects on DuVernay’s docket are the upcoming four-part Netflix drama series Central Park Five, about the real-life case of five young men of color who were falsely convicted of raping a white woman, as well as a film adaptation of DC Comics’ New Gods.