Documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld will be tackling his first feature film biopic with Fame & Fortune, an insider’s look at the King of Rock ‘n Roll, Elvis Presley. The film will be based on Presley’s bodyguard Sonny West’s book, Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business, with RLF Victor Productions Ltd releasing the film in 2012 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Elvis’ death.
Scheinfeld’s documentary film credits include The Divine Bette Midler, Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him), The U.S. vs John Lennon, and We Believe.
RLF Victor Productions president Cindy Friedlander wrote the screenplay with Michael Schlau and Sonny West.
In the press release announcing his involvement, Scheinfeld stated, “It is a great honor to direct the first feature film about Elvis, arguably the most influential, beloved and popular entertainer of the 20th century. I’m very excited to work with the RLF Victor team to bring this compelling and deeply emotional story to the big screen.”
“John Scheinfeld is the premier director of popular culture bios on music icons,” said Ricki Landers Friedlander, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RLF Victor Productions. “Elvis Presley and Sonny West’s story, which requires great sensitivity and understanding, couldn’t be in more capable hands.”
The Story: “Never before has Elvis ‘behind the scenes’ been as intimately revealed. Sonny West, as Presley’s bodyguard and best friend from 1960 to 1976, and who was an integral member of the famed singer’s ‘Memphis Mafia,’ provides a unique fly-on-the-wall perspective on his relationship with Elvis through Elvis’ rocket ride to fame, professional ups and downs, mercurial temper, generous spirit, loves and losses. Through this journey the panorama of calamitous events that precipitated Presley’s tragic decline will finally be told.”
