The film is produced by Earl Simmons and Alessandro Camon and executive produced by Edward R. Pressman, John Schmidt, Dion Fearon, Marc Gerald and Tashera Simmons. Elliot Rosenblatt is co-executive producer and Bloodline Films' Cheryl Martin serves as co-producer along with Robi Reed. The film is the first motion picture to be produced by Bloodline Films, DMX's film production company. The director of photography is Matthew Libatique ("Phone Booth," "Requiem for a Dream").
Said ContentFilm Chairman Edward R. Pressman and President John Schmidt: "We're very excited that Fox Searchlight will release 'Never Die Alone,' a groundbreaking urban thriller created by Ernest Dickerson, Matthew Libatique and Jim Gibson. The innovative people at Searchlight have demonstrated again and again their expertise at breaking high quality movies out of the art house niche and bringing them to mainstream audiences."
Said Fox Searchlight Pictures Executive Vice President of Production Claudia Lewis, "Fox Searchlight is honored to work with this talented team of filmmakers to bring 'Never Die Alone' to audiences nationwide. 'Never Die Alone' is the kind of edgy and provocative filmmaking that Fox Searchlight is constantly seeking, and DMX is a charismatic star in a surprisingly complex role."
In "Never Die Alone," DMX plays a gangster whose murder is witnessed by an aspiring journalist played by David Arquette. The gangster's rise and fall is charted in flashback through the gangster's journal, which enables the journalist to understand why he was killed and tell the story.
Author Donald Goines wrote his first two books while incarcerated, and followed those with an astonishing 16 novels written from the time he was released from prison in 1970 until he was shot to death in 1974. Though largely ignored by critics, Goines' work sold more than 5 million books in his short career and were rediscovered in the 90s by legions of hip hop fans and European readers. For his last four books, a series about Goines' militant hero Kenyatta, the author adopted the pseudonym Al C. Clark. His works include: "Whoreson: The Story of a Ghetto Pimp," "White Man's Justice, Black Man's Grief," "Daddy Cool," "Black Gangster," "Dope Fiend," "Inner City Hoodlum," "Cry Revenge," "Street Players," "Eldorado Red," "Death List," "Crime Partners," "Kenyatta's Escape," "Kenyatta's Last Hit," "Swamp Man," "Donald Goines Writes No More: A Biography of Donald Goines," "Black Girl Lost," and "Death for Hire."
DMX is a top rap artist who has also found great success in the film business. He starred opposite Jet Li in "Cradle 2 the Grave" and also appeared in "Belly," "Romeo Must Die," and "Exit Wounds," for which he received a Blockbuster Breakthrough Actor nomination. His first four albums debuted at number one and sold well over 22 million records in just four years.
David Arquette starred in the box office smash hits "Scream 1, 2 and 3," which won him the Blockbuster Favorite Actor Award in 1998. For his leading role in "Never Been Kissed," he was awarded the 2000 Blockbuster Award for Favorite Supporting Actor. He recently drew acclaim for his portrayal of an inmate at Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Tim Blake Nelson's drama "The Grey Zone." The cast also includes Jennifer Sky ("Shop Club"), Paige Hurd ("Cradle 2 the Grave"), Rhoda Jordan ("Aquanoids") and Keesha Sharp ("American Adobo").
