Eminem to co-produce documentary Stans about the 'relationship between fanbase and artist' through the lens of one of the rapper's most visual songs
Eminem will co-produce a new documentary about the rabid fan phenomenon through his Shady Films, in collaboration with DIGA Studios and Hill District Media, with initial distribution by Paramount/MTV.
Considering that one of the rapper's most popular songs throughout his career, Stan, tackles the subject of superfans, who can often be described as obsessed, it only seems fitting that he helps tackle this topic within the medium of film.
Directed by Steven Leckart, the film will reportedly use Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III) and “the fans who adore him” as the initial subject for the “revealing, sharp and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom.” according to Variety.
Currently, production continues under the working title Stans, in another nod to the 15-time Grammy Award winner's 2000 hit, which tells the story of an obsessive and delusional fan named Stanley “Stan” Mitchell (voiced by Eminem) .
In the more than twenty years since its release, Stan's song peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in twelve countries, including Great Britain, Germany, Australia and Ireland.
Eminem, 51, is co-producing a new documentary about superfans, tentatively titled Stans, after his 2000 hit, which told the story of obsessed fans who tried to use his image
In a statement, the rapper's longtime manager Paul Rosenberg and Shady Films' Stuart Parr summed up the upcoming Stans documentary as an “opportunity for us to turn the camera and ask the audience if we're fans — and in some fallen fanatics.”
They then revealed how the film will be “an examination of the relationship between fanbase and artist through the lens of one of Eminem's most fascinating songs and one of the world's most important entertainers.”
Stans will attempt to do this by exploring the complex relationship between fame and superfandom by first using Eminem as one of the test examples.
Leckart comes to the production with a number of critically acclaimed work credits, including writer of What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019), producer of Challenger: The Final Flight (2020), writer and executive producer of the Hulu series Legacy: True Story Of The LA Lakers (2022), as well as the podcast series Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy (2021-present).
Stan is one of those rare terms that leaps from the musical landscape into the popular lexicon.
It has been suggested that the song contributed to the creation of stan, a mix of the words stalker and fan, as an internet slang term for an extremely obsessed fan.
Ultimately, stan was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017 and to Merriam-Webster two years later.
The music video for Eminem's 2000 hit, Stan, starred Canadian actor Devon Sawa as Stanley “tan” Mitchell, an obsessed fan who begins to imitate the Slim Shady image, including his fashion style and dyed blonde hair.
While the song Stan tells the story of obsessed fans who adopt the Slim Shady image, the rapper's upcoming film will attempt to take a “revealing, sharp and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom.”
The Stan video, directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, is a literal interpretation of the obsessed fan story featuring a man named Stan who wants his idol to contact him via a personal letter or a phone call, but fails to reach Eminem in a timely manner
The Stans documentary will be released later this year at an unknown date
In the song and its wildly popular music video, Stanley 'Stan' Mitchell writes several letters to Eminem, in which in two verses he begins to show an obsession with the rapper that grows to the level of becoming frustrated and angry when he does not receive a message. answers.
The Canadian actor who plays the obsessed fan, Devon Sawa, also begins to imitate the Slim Shady image, including his fashion style and dyed blonde hair.
The video, directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, is a literal interpretation of the obsessed fan story in which Stan wants his idol to contact him via a personal letter or a phone call, but due to unfortunate circumstances the letters do not reach Eminem. Timely.
Believing that he has been ignored, Stan uses a tape recorder to record himself driving down a rain-soaked highway with his girlfriend locked in the trunk, which he does with the intention of driving off a bridge that ultimately becomes their fate .
The Stans documentary will be released later this year at an unknown date.