Steve Harvey’s life story is coming to a theater near you.
Objectively Good Media is developing an authorized biopic about the comedian, titled “Seventy-Two,” according to Deadline. Mohamed Kheir and Matthew R. Cooper will produce the project for OGM. East 112, which is headed by Harvey and Thabiti Stephens, the Chief Strategy Officer of Steve Harvey Global, will also produce the film.
“Seventy-Two,” which does not yet have a writer, will focus “on a transformative 72-hour period, ahead of a career-defining performance for Harvey at the legendary Apollo Theatre in 1993,” Deadline reported. OMG developed the idea and brought the pitch to Harvey and East 112, who authorized it.
Harvey said in a statement that he has been “reluctant to make a movie about my life for years, until I read the pitch for Seventy-Two.”
“It focuses on one of the most difficult moments in my journey and career, and shows the world that hope is never truly lost. Wait until you see what we do with this,” Harvey told Deadline.
“Seventy-Two” will provide “an intimate look at the perseverance and challenges that defined Harvey’s career,” according to the film’s synopsis, per Deadline.
“At age 26, Harvey left a secure sales job to pursue a career in comedy, facing numerous obstacles along the way,” the synopsis reads. “However, by 36, he was confronting a period of self-doubt and personal struggles as he prepared for the performance that would alter his career trajectory.”
OGM’s Kheir also released a statement to Deadline, saying that “securing the rights to tell this story has been an incredible honor.”
“Steve Harvey’s ability to turn his trials into triumphs is inspiring, and ‘Seventy-Two’ will showcase the resilience and determination that defined those pivotal days,” he added. “We look forward to sharing this powerful narrative with audiences worldwide.”
Harvey began his career in standup comedy in the 1980s and has since appeared in hit TV shows like “The Steve Harvey Show” and “Steve Harvey,” a long-running daytime talk show that he hosted. The comedian currently hosts “Family Feud” and “Celebrity Family Feud.”