Movies Showing February 2011: Justin Beiber: Never Say Never

On August 2, 2010, Deadline.com reported that Paramount Pictures was prepping a film featuring the singer.

News:

• The website also reported that the film, described as a "feature biopic" would be directed by the Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth's director Davis Guggenheim. The untitled film was said to also include performances from Bieber's My World Tour throughout. Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and Island Def Jam president L.A. Reid were tapped to produce, and the film was tentatively given a Valentine's Day 2011 release date. After the report was published by Deadline, Bieber confirmed the news on his official Twitter account, and verified that it would be released around February 11, 2011. In a following tweet, Bieber stated that the performances for the film would be those set to take place at Madison Square Garden on the tour. On August 4, 2010, Deadline reported that Guggenheim had dropped out of the directing position for the film, in order to concentrate on promotion for Waiting for "Superman".
• After the future of the film was up in the air for a few days, on August 13, 2010, it was reported that Step Up 3D director Jon Chu was recruited to direct the film. On directing the film, Chu stated that he "jumped at the opportunity to tell a story with honesty and heart", as most people did not know that Bieber had a "true underdog story." Chu went on to say that he hoped to tell his story in a "compelling, genuine way, using all source materials available to convey his tale of becoming an icon for this digital age."
• In another interview, Chu said that the movie was for fans and non-fans alike, commenting, "we're gonna tell the underdog story of where he came from." He later explained that it was fascinating due to Bieber's story had much to do with the modern "digital lifestyle", such as using YouTube, and how it is "a pretty cool story for our time." On the type of film, Chu said "There's not going to be acted-out scenes and I can't talk about the rest. It's not your typical concert film and it's not going to be a biopic, but it is about his life.