Brett Ratner Could Direct A Film About The Early Days Of MTV

Briefly: Brett Ratner's next project might chronicle the early days of MTV. Sony is near a deal with Ratner to adapt the Craig Marks and Rob Tannebaum book I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. Jody Lambert (Welcome to People, now titled People Like Us) is set to script, which suggests that this will be a dramatic attempt to tell the story, rather than a documentary.Variety says Ratner may end up directing, but that part of the deal isn't set yet. He's still got Hercules to make, with Dwayne Johnson set for the title role.

And what shape will this MTV project really take? The book is as much a behind the scenes examination of many individual videos as it is a history specifically of MTV, and getting the rights to some of that material could be expensive. (We might end up with a film about the early days of MTV that manages to feature primarily artists for which Sony Music has rights.)

I would love to see who ends up being cast as the early crop of VJs, however. And I'm dying to see the dramatized creation of one music video chronicled in the book: Billy Squier's 'Rock Me Tonite,' directed by Kenny "High School Musical" Ortega, which the singer claims essentially ended his career. I have no idea why he'd say that.