X-Men star to direct film about fake rappers

Scottish actor James McAvoy will direct a movie about the Dundee rappers

Scottish actor James McAvoy is set to make his directorial debut with a film based on two hoax rappers from Dundee.

California Schemin' will tell the story of Silibil N' Brains, a rap duo who pretended to be American in order to be taken seriously by the record industry.

The pair managed to keep up the lie for three years, in which time they were signed to a record label and had played on a UK tour with Eminem.

Glaswegian McAvoy said he is "proud" to make his debut telling a Scottish story.

The actor told Deadline: “California Schemin’ is as rooted in the California rap scene of the early 2000s as it is in the working-class Scottish setting where our story begins.

"I’ll be telling a story about friendship, rap and glorious failure that has the potential to move, shock and entertain."

McAvoy added the script "brilliantly captures the desperation, bravery, talent and sheer con artist genius" of the Scottish rap duo, real names Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd.

The actor is known for his roles in the X-men franchise, the Last King of Scotland and Split.

Silibil N Brains pretended to be from California when they were actually from Dundee

The film, which is currently in pre-production, is based on Bain’s autobiography Straight Outta Scotland.

The pair claim being Scottish meant they were not taken seriously in a meeting with a record label executive in 2001 and earned them the nickname the "rapping Proclaimers".

Determined to be taken seriously, they adopted the personas of "Silibil" (Boyd) and "Brains" (Bain) from a small town in California, claiming they had met at a rap battle contest in San Francisco.

Over the next few years they secured a record deal with Sony, appeared on MTV, partied with Madonna and played on a UK tour with Eminem's hip-hop collective D12.

They continued in the guise - complete with American accents - for three years, before it became too much and the pair returned to Dundee.

The story has previously been adapted into a BBC Four Storyville documentary named The Great Hip Hop Hoax.

McAvoy is to take on a minor role in the film, as well as directing.

Boyd and Bain will be played by Bafta-nominated Samuel Bottomley and Scottish newcomer Séamus McLean Ross, who is also set to star in the Outlander prequel Blood of My Blood.