It’s been almost two years since Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson announced he would executive produce a documentary about Sean Combs, and the project finally has a release date. The four-episode project titled Sean Combs: The Bottom Line will be released globally on Netflix on December 2.
Alexandria Stapleton directs the documentary and produces the film alongside Jackson, Stacy Scripter, David Karabinas, Ariel Brozell and Brad Bernstein. Sean Combs: The Reckoning is produced by House of Nonfiction, G-Unit Film & Television and Texas Crew Productions.
The project logline:
Diddy. Papa Puff. Love. The public knows the hip-hop icon by many names, but who is the real Sean Combs? Sean Combs: The Bottom Line is a stunning examination of the media mogul, music legend and convicted offender. Born with an insatiable thirst for fame and a knack for spotting talent, Combs quickly rose through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and played a crucial role in introducing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of landmark artists like The Notorious BIG, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci and Danity Kane.
But along the way, and as his former associates, childhood friends, artists and employees have detailed, something darker began to color his ambitions. Through explosive, never-before-seen material, including exclusive interviews with those who were once in his orbit, this documentary tells the story of a powerful, enterprising man and the golden empire he built – and the underworld that lies just beneath its surface.
“Being a woman in the industry and following the Me Too movement – watching music and film giants go through trials and seeing the results… When Cassie dropped her lawsuit, I just thought this could go a million different directions,” said director Alexandria Stapleton. “As a woman, I wondered how she had the confidence to take on a mogul like Sean Combs. As a filmmaker, I immediately knew it was a stress test of whether we had changed as a culture and whether we were capable of dealing with allegations like this fairly,” Stapleton explained.
Adding: “It’s not just about the story of Sean Combs or the story of Cassie, or the story of any of the victims, or the allegations against him, or the trial. Ultimately, this story is a mirror. [reflecting us] as an audience, and what we say when we place our celebrities on such a high pedestal. I hope [this documentary] is a wake-up call about the way we idolize people and the understanding that everyone is a human being.
When Combs’ legal troubles began to surface, Jackson was well known to fans on his popular social media accounts for trolling the Bad Boy Records founder. It’s not yet clear whether he will appear in the documentary or whether he will take a back seat as executive producer and let the story unfold on its own. Details regarding who will participate in the document have not been disclosed.
“I have been dedicated to real-life storytelling for years through G-Unit Film & Television,” Jackson said. I’m grateful to everyone who came forward and trusted us with their stories, and I’m proud to have Alexandria Stapleton as a director on the project to bring this important story to the screen.
