Lisa Cortés Making a Little Richard Documentary for CNN Films & HBO Max, Dee Rees Producing

Films

Lisa Cortés Making a Little Richard Documentary for CNN Films & HBO Max, Dee Rees Producing

Less than a month after she inked a first-look deal with Blue Ant Studios — and announced she’s working on a docuseries about women in hip-hop, a drama about Black and Indigenous women soldiers in WWII, and more — Lisa Cortés has confirmed another project, this time for CNN Films and HBO Max. Deadline reports the “All In: The Fight for Democracy” filmmaker is in production on a documentary about rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Little Richard. CNN will broadcast “Little Richard: I Am Everything” (working title) and HBO Max owns the domestic and international streaming rights.

Cortés and executive producer Dee Rees (“Mudbound”) have been attached to the doc since it was first announced in 2020.

Described as “a deep dive into the life and career of the iconic musician,” “I Am Everything” will feature interviews with Little Richard’s loved ones, colleagues, and contemporaries as well as historians. The doc will also include never-before-seen archival footage.

Caryn Capotosto is producing “I Am Everything.” Rolling Stone’s Liz Yale Marsh and CNN Films’ Courtney Sexton and Amy Entelis are among the EPs.

“Richard Penniman, also known as Little Richard, lived a life as large as his dreams, breaking barriers and becoming a global music superstar. He was a key architect of rock and roll, with his unique sound, performance, and bravado launching the fresh and exciting new genre,” the source details. “The creative genius behind tunes ranging from ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’ to ‘The Magic School Bus Theme’ also personified the fearless independence that rock inspired, despite the new music’s ascendance during an era of brutal prejudice and racism.”

A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and inductee to both the Grammy Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Little Richard died in May 2020 at age 87.

“I am delighted to give Little Richard the royal treatment he so deserves,” Cortés said. “This magnificent rock ‘n’ roll icon changed the world for all of us – Black and white, straight and gay, everyday people and stars. His story is the history of rock ‘n’ roll: musical genius mixed with the sheer audacity to morph and change at will, seeking permission from no one.” She continued, “The film is called ‘I Am Everything’ because that was Little Richard’s triumph, transcending all categories and expectations to be everything he dreamed.”

“Little Richard’s career is one of the most fascinating and important stories in music and pop culture history,” added exec producer Robert Friedman. “The film will unspool Richard’s incalculable influence on music history, at long last giving him his rightful place on the rock and roll throne.”

“The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion” is also among Cortés’ credits. Her upcoming slate includes “The Empire of Ebony,” a doc about Black media empire Ebony Magazine that’s now in post-production.