Timbaland Is Working On a Live Musical to Accompany His ‘Opera Noir’ Album

Timbaland is teaming up with Leftfield Pictures to score a hip-hop musical based on his upcoming autobiographical final album. Tentatively titled Opera Noir, Timbo will also serve as an executive producer on the musical that will follow a young musician’s rise to the top as he struggles with poverty, substance abuse and crime. The plan is to shop the musical to different networks as either a standalone event or a limited series.
“I couldn’t have found a better partner than Leftfield Pictures and [Leftfield CEO] David George for Opera Noir,” said Tim in a press release. “They understand my vision for this project, which I’ve had for years, and I’m confident they will help bring this to life for everyone else.”
“Tim’s unbelievable candor about his experiences and difficult past help illustrate one of the most epic success stories in the industry,” adds George. “We’re fortunate to be part of the ‘grand finale’ of an artist whose innovative and inspiring musical contributions have helped shape the business and will influence artists for years to come.”
The hit-making producer was on the RapRadar podcast back in January and talked a bit about the project, comparing it to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. “That to me is my Thriller,” he said of the project. “I will not rush into that.”
Back in 2014, Timbo told Rolling Stone that he is treating the album like another artist’s masterpiece.
“This is my Purple Rain solo album that I’m going to put out,” he said, likening the project to Prince’s album and movie. “I have no features on it. It’s called Opera Noir and it’s the most innovative work I’ve ever done. It’s all about truth and what’s going on around us. It’s about my personal truth: It’s one of the things that MediaTakeOut will care about, but I’m telling you what happened. I’m telling you: At this point, this happened. I’m telling you at this date, I’m telling you that I did this. I’m telling you that she did this or he did that. And just how I look, dropping all my weight, and how I look like a whole different person now, you’re gonna really understand. It’s about truth and what the world is facing, and we don’t even realize.”
Stay tuned for more on Opera Noir.