Eminem is set to co-produce a new documentary about the phenomenon of fanatical fans through his Shady Films, which will be in association with DIGA Studios and Hill District Media, with initial distribution from Paramount/MTV.
Considering one of the rapper’s most popular song’s during his career, Stan, takes on the subject of superfans, who often can be described as obsessed, it only seems fitting that he help tackle the subject within the medium of film.
With Steven Leckart directing, the film will reportedly use Eminem (born Marshall Bruce Mathers III) and ‘the fans that worship him’ as the initial subject point for the ‘revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super fandom,’ according to Variety.
Currently, the production is moving forward under the working title Stans, in another reference to the 15-time Grammy Award-winner’s 2000 hit song, which tells the story of an obsessive and delusional fan named Stanley ‘Stan’ Mitchell (voiced by Eminem).
In the two-plus decades since its release, the song Stan peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in 12 countries, including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Ireland.
Eminem, 51, is co-producing a new documentary about superfans, tentatively titled Stans, after his hit 2000 song that told the story of an obsessed fans who tried to use his image
In a statement, the rapper’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg and Stuart Parr of Shady Films summed the upcoming Stans documentary as an ‘opportunity for us to to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases, fanatics.’
They went on to reveal how the film will be ‘a study of the relationship between fanbase and artist through the lens of one of Eminem’s most fascinating songs and one of the world’s most important entertainers.’
Stans will attempt to do this by exploring the complex relationship between fame and super fandom by first using Eminem as one of the test examples.
Leckart comes into the production with a number of acclaimed working credits that includes being the writer of What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019), producer of Challenger: The Final Flight (2020), writer and executive producer of the Hulu series Legacy: True Story Of The L.A. Lakers (2022), as well as the podcast series Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy (2021-present).
Stan is one of those rare terms to jump from the musical landscape into the popular lexicon.
It has been suggested that the song helped establish stan, a blend of the words stalker and fan, as an internet slang term for an extremely obsessed fan.
Ultimately, stan was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017, and then two years later it was added to Merriam-Webster.
The music video for Eminem’s hit 2000 song Stan starred Canadian actor Devon Sawa as Stanley ‘tan’ Mitchell, an obsessed fan who starts to imitate the Slim Shady image, including his fashion style and dyed blonde hair
While the song Stan tells the story of an obsessed fans who take on the Slim Shady image, the rapper’s upcoming film will try to take a ‘revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super fandom’
Directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, the Stan video is a literal interpretation of the obsessed fan story that uses a man named Stan who wants his idol to contact him through a personal letter or a phone call, but fails to reach Eminem in a timely manner
The Stans documentary is scheduled to be releases at an undetermined date later this year
In the track and wildly popular music video, Stanley ‘Stan’ Mitchell writes Eminem several letters, which over two verses, he starts to show an obsession over the rapper that grows to the level of being frustrated and angry when he doesn’t receive a reply back.
The Canadian actor playing the obsessed fan, Devon Sawa, also starts to imitate the Slim Shady image, including his fashion style and dyed blonde hair.
Directed by Dr. Dre and Philip Atwell, the video is a literal interpretation of the obsessed fan story where Stan wants his idol to contact him through a personal letter or a phone call, but, due to unfortunate circumstances, the letters fail to reach Eminem in a timely manner.
Believing he has been ignored, Stan uses a tape recorder to record himself driving along a rain-soaked highway while his girlfriend is locked up in the trunk, which he does with the intention of driving off a bridge that ends up being their fate.
The Stans documentary is scheduled to be releases at an undetermined date later this year.
