Notorious screenwriter to pen Lowriders tale

Cheo Hodari Coker, who co-wrote the critically acclaimed Notorious B.I.G. biopic that’s currently in theaters, has been contracted to write the drama Lowriders, which is set in the world of low-riding cars, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Imagine Entertainment and producer Brian Grazer (American Gangster, Changeling, Inside Man) are producing the new film.

Grazer, whose Angels & Demons is set to hit theaters on May 15, 2009, came up with the idea based on his own artistic interest in the low-riding culture, which consists primarily of teens driving cars that can have their suspension systems adjusted dramatically on the fly. California and the Southwest are home to the culture, which has been hinted at in films like John Singleton’s 1991 Oscar-nominated street epic Boyz N The Hood.

Imagine and Universal executives were looking for a writer who could write authentically about the scene, and craft a solid storyline. Coker, a screenwriter and former journalist for Premiere, Vibe, Rolling Stone and Spin, won out. He will be penning the project in an office at Imagine’s Beverly Hills headquarters, where the production giant frequently allows writers to use space for its projects.

Mister Cartoon, an Los Angeles-based tattoo and graffiti artist involved in the culture, is executive producing with Estevan Oriol, to help ensure authenticity on the project.