Photo: Splash
Rihanna will apparently be the subject of a full length documentary film, shot by Peter Berg, who first directed her in Battleship.
According to Deadline, the film is taking inspiration from Don't Look Back, the 1967 Bob Dylan documentary direct by D. A. Pennebaker that set the template for rock on screen (and gave license to a lifetime of interview subjects being particularly awkward).
Berg's documentary has beeen described as "unfiltered look into Rihanna’s life and how she’s ascended to become a global icon". One suspects it might be slightly less linear than the 777 Tour documentary depicting Rihanna's last jaunt around the globe for her last record.
Berg told Deadline that he wants to examine "a young artist at the top of her professional field" and said that he wants the movie to be "much more a character study than a music film". The pair certainly got on well - despite the reviews of their first effort Battleship, the experience is said to be positive.
Berg told GQ of casting the star: "I'm a fan of Rihanna, like every man. She's just gorgeous. Her videos are super-hot and I'd watched them a lot. It clicked for me though after she got assaulted and she went on Diane Sawyer's show and talked very frankly about that night and what happened. She was so intelligent and articulate. She was sat there in a very conservative dress and just came across as very, very real. I remember thinking, 'Wow. There's much more to this woman than I'd thought.'
"I then saw her do this stupid little skit on Saturday Night Live where she was in a classroom giving a hard time to these boys. She was funny as all hell! I knew in that moment that the girl could act. No question."
Rihanna's eighth studio album (executive produced by Kanye West) is widely expected to be a surprise release in soon, although the singer herself has refused to release any further details. Following LA's DJ Skee tweeting that he had an exclusive news on #R8 on Dash Radio, Rihanna tweeted "NOBODY IS TUNING IN TO LISTEN TO YOUR FUCKERY!!!!" before clarifying:
ANY news about #R8 will be delivered directly from me!!!!
— Rihanna (@rihanna) November 25, 2014
Rihanna has reportedly been in the studio working with DJ Mustard, Ester Dean, and Ne-Yo, among others on the follow-up to 2012's Apologetic. Rihanna herself told the New York Times: "I can't give you any hints of when it will drop. It's going to be great, that's all I'm going to tell you and I'm excited about it. I try to battle myself and outdo everything I've done and that's been the hardest thing to do. You start overthinking things at times."
Rihanna and Kanye West are also expected shortly to announce a join tour after information was leaked about a date in Estonia.
