This Saturday, October 15th, Lifetime is set to air Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le. The biopic tells the story of R&B artist and Dr. Dre’s former fiancée, Michel’le, with whom Dre has a son. Michel’le has claimed that the Aftermath Entertainment CEO was physically abusive for much of their relationship, at one point breaking her nose and threatening her with a gun.
According to those who have seen an advanced screening, Surviving Compton depicts scenes of Dre (played by Curtis Hamilton) punching Michel’le (played by Rhyon Nicole Brown) in the face, pulling her hair, and pointing a gun at her. At the screening, producer Leslie Greif said that the idea for the film came about after the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton left out any mention of Michel’le.
For his part, Dre has denied the allegations, and last year offered a vague apology to “the women I’ve hurt.” Now, aead of Saturday’s premiere, TMZ reports Dr. Dre has issued a cease-and-desist notice to Sony Pictures threatening to sue if they go through with airing the film. In the notice sent to Sony, Dre points out that Michel’le never filed a police report or sought out medical attention during their relationship.
“What doesn’t make sense is, why would you publicly apologize for beating women, and then turn around and say, ‘I didn’t beat a woman?’” Michel’le said in a new interview with The Huffington Post. “That doesn’t make any sense to me, that’s an oxymoron.”
Surviving Compton also depicts Michel’le’s relationship with Suge Knight, with whom she was married for six years and has a daughter. HuffPo reports that Knight, currently facing life in prison for the murder and attempted murder of two individuals he ran over with his truck, has also threatened to sue her and Lifetime should the biopic make “him look any type of way.”
Watch a trailer for Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le, in which you can see Dre’s character grab Michel’le’s by the throat and threaten her during a recording session, below.
