Wiley, the east London MC and one of the key pioneers of grime, is to be the subject of a biopic, according to Variety.

Adam Smith will direct the feature. His previous directorial credits include the Michael Fassbender film Trespass Against Us, the Chemical Brothers documentary Don’t Think and episodes of Doctor Who, Little Dorrit and Skins.

The film will tell Wiley’s story from his youth in Bow, east London, as part of the Pay As U Go garage crew, before creating his harsh, innovative “eskibeat” production style that became synonymous with grime. He then crossed over into pop, scoring chart-topping singles both solo and with the group Roll Deep, nurturing a new generation of MCs before returning to his grime roots.

“This is my life, my highs and lows, but it’s not really all about me,” Wiley said. “When I make music, help the scene or even do something like this, it’s like I’m not alone any more. It’s for people who grew up like me. I’m doing it to help people who are lost like me.”

Smith also directed the video for Wiley’s debut solo single, 2004’s Wot U Call It?, and said: “Meeting Wiley and seeing what he and his friends were creating was a huge inspiration to me. Making a film about this incredible talent and his story 15 years later is very exciting.”

The script is being written by poet, playwright and librettist Sabrina Mahfouz, who said on Twitter: “This is DREAMS on multiple levels so if u go to east London today u will see my smile stretch central line lengths.” No casting details have been announced.

The biopic will be produced by Pulse Films, which is developing other music-film projects, including a documentary version of Lizzy Goodman’s account of New York’s early-00s garage rock scene, Meet Me in the Bathroom, and has produced documentaries with Katy Perry, LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Nick Cave and more.