Eminem will be co-producing a documentary tentatively titled Stans that focuses on the phenomenon of die-hard, rabid fans.
According to Variety, the film is a collaborative effort between Eminem's Shady Films, DIGA Studios, and Hill District Media, with distribution from Paramount/MTV. Steven Leckart is tapped to direct the documentary.
The synopsis decribes the film as a "revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super fandom, told through the lens of one of the world's most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him."
The documentary is inspired by Eminem's hit song of the same name released in November 2000. The song tells the story of a delusional Eminem fan who writes several letters obsessing over the rapper and grows upset about never getting a response. Em tries to alleviate the situation by writing back to the fan, who ends up killing himself and his pregnant girlfriend after driving his car off a bridge.
"Stans will be the opportunity for us to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases, fanatics," Shady Films' Paul Rosenberg and Stuart Parr said in a statement to Variety. "This is 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."
The song peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart and was nominated for multiple awards. It also coined the term Stan as a way to describe maniacal fans and is now recognized as a word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
"Paul Rosenberg and I have known each other since my days on MTV's TRL, a show that was driven by the power of fandom, bringing artists and their fans together. So when he told me about the idea for this film, it felt like we had come full circle," DIGA CEO Tony DiSanto said. "Stans will explore the complex relationship between fame and super fandom, told through the lens of one of the world's most Iconic artists, Eminem, his music, and, especially, his most extreme fans."
