HBO Sets Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine Documentary

HBO will chronicle the lives of music icons Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine in a new documentary set to debut in 2017.

The four part documentary, The Defiant Ones, will follow the friendship bond between two street-smart men from different worlds who together had a major influence on the music industry while building seveal business empires, including the Beats Electronics brand, according to HBO.

Along with interviews with Dr. Dre and Iovine, the documentary includes appearances from such music personalities as Bono, David Geffen, Eminem, Nas, Ice Cube, Gwen Stefani, Jon Landau, Tom Petty, Trent Reznor, Snoop Dogg, Bruce Springsteen and will.i.am, said the network.

  “The Defiant Ones has everything you expect in a great story – drama and humor, tragedy and triumph,” said HBO programming president Casey Bloys in a statement. “Allen Hughes takes you on a journey through some of the most important flash points of popular culture, and I’m delighted that we can bring this unforgettable saga to our viewers.”

The Defiant Ones is a Silverback 5150 Pictures Production in association with Alcon Television Group. Allen Hughes, Doug Pray, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Laura Lancaster, Jerry Longarzo, Michael Lombardo and Gene Kirkwood serve as exeuctive producers, according to HBO.  

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.