Don Cheadle as MILES DAVIS

mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts
edited March 2007 in Strut Central
ohshit!Cheadle jazzed for Davis biopicActor will produce, direct, star in filmBy MICHAEL FLEMINGDon Cheadle has solidified five feature film projects that he'll produce and star in. Among them is a biopic of jazz legend Miles Davis, on which he plans to make his feature directing debut.Cheadle, who is being honored today as ShoWest male star of the year, has set up the projects through Crescendo Prods., the shingle in which he partners with longtime managers Kay Liberman and Lenore Zerman."Nixon" scribes Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson are penning the Davis film, and Liberman and Zerman said they have secured music and life rights to the jazz legend, with whom Cheadle has long been intrigued."Miles pushed the envelope and was never satisfied and kept evolving," Liberman said.Crescendo's producing with Cary Brokaw and Vince Wilburn Jr. and Darryl Porter of Miles Davis Properties. They have waited to complete the package before bringing it to financiers, with Cheadle aboard to direct.Other projects on Crescendo's slate:"Traitor" is a politically charged drama that was written and will be directed by Jeff Nachmanoff ("The Day After Tomorrow"). Overture's Chris McGurk and Danny Rosett are negotiating to finance a film that Crescendo will produce with Mandeville's David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman.Cheadle will star as an operative embedded in a terrorist organization who becomes the target of federal agents; they fear he's crossed the line and actually become a terrorist himself."Quest to Ref" is a comic vehicle for Cheadle, scripted by Ben Watkins and Guy Guillet. Story concerns a disenchanted lawyer who follows his life dream to become a pro basketball ref.Peter Biegen-scripted drama "Broken Adonis" has Michael Apted attached to direct. Crescendo will produce with Apted, Jeanney Kim and Sandy Kroopf. Story concerns an ex-con (Cheadle) who forms an unlikely relationship with a border patrol officer and her young informant.Cheadle continues to work with "Ocean's" co-star Brad Pitt's Plan B and Reason Pictures on "Marching Powder," a fact-based story of a drug dealer who spent five years as a tour guide in the notorious San Pedro Prison in Bolivia. Cheadle will play the tour guide.In addition Cheadle is producing, with "Crash" cohort Cathy Schulman and Jonathan Mark Harris, the Participant/Warner Independent docu "An Indifferent World," which is already in production. Cheadle is one of five subjects of the film who are trying to address genocide in Darfur. Ted Braun is directing and is in the Sudan shooting the film.Cheadle, who made his producing debut on "Crash," is also co-writing the upcoming Hyperion book "Not on Our Watch," a handbook for activism that describes his own awakening to strife in Africa after he starred in "Hotel Rwanda."His Crescendo partners said that while Cheadle continues to work steadily -- he's about to open opposite Adam Sandler in "Reign Over Me," then reprises in "Ocean's Thirteen" in June and stars in "Talk to Me" in July -- he is determined to be the architect of his future acting opportunities. They recently brought in Arlene Gibbs to be senior veep of production."Don has always made strong choices and been very smart about identifying and developing strong material, and that is what drives this company," Zerman said. "In the current climate, coming in with strong projects makes you feel like you're more a master of your own destiny."------ from http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117961179&categoryid=13i can't imagine a better actor to portray milesi'm glad to see don taking the (producing) reins and i hope he does right with this film

  Comments


  • ElectrodeElectrode Los Angeles 3,080 Posts
    I heard that Mary J. Blige is supposed to play Nina Simone later this year. I don't know what to think of these movie biographies. They seem too VH1 Behind the Music to me, but this sounds like it could be a good watch

  • mandrewmandrew 2,720 Posts
    I don't know what to think of these movie biographies

    agreed. i'm not a fan of bioppics (or documentaries) but too big a fan of miles not to be geekily excited about this one

  • Vince Wilburn Jr.

    My mind may be too drug addled to remeber anything properly but i think this is miles' nephew who used to play drums for him and was cruelly fired by the prince of darkness the night he was slated to play before his hometown. the quincy troupe biography is actually a really great tabloidesque read. well, at least cheadale is a good actor.

  • Vince Wilburn Jr.

    My mind may be too drug addled to remeber anything properly but i think this is miles' nephew who used to play drums for him and was cruelly fired by the prince of darkness the night he was slated to play before his hometown. the quincy troupe biography is actually a really great tabloidesque read. well, at least cheadale is a good actor.

    Big Daddy Kane fired him?


  • catalistcatalist 1,373 Posts
    I heard that Mary J. Blige is supposed to play Nina Simone later this year.

    NAGL......
    I won't even use the graemlin this time.

    they need to do some casting and find someone with a voice that can actually have some sort of similarity to Nina's .. (oh wait that might be impossible)..

  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts
    Cheadle is a great actor. This will all hang on the writing. I anticipate not liking it no matter what.

    I wonder who they'll cast for Mike Stern?

  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    dude speaking of biopics, when the inevitable Dylan movie comes out, can anyone but Sandler seriously be asked to play this dude? he's a deadringer in his new movie:


  • mistercmisterc 329 Posts

  • slushslush 691 Posts
    I like cheadle, but talk about biting off more than you can chew
    no one is gonna play miles
    shits not possible.

  • hendravishendravis 689 Posts
    I like cheadle, but talk about biting off more than you can chew
    no one is gonna play miles
    shits not possible.

    not to mention ALL the other people that will be essential in this cast .





    slinghsot ~!


    id love to/look forward to seeing this but, theres so much i feel can not b done justice. (kind of blue sessions ,bitches brew sessions)

    but at least he is doin something that is worth the time, unlike so many other films these days.

    good luck!

  • marumaru 1,450 Posts
    cheadle is

    miles is

    i can't help but be excited for this

  • izm707izm707 1,107 Posts
    The Don is , he's
    He can endorse that role...from my point of view, the main problem would be the script. Now that is a hell of a problem...And they better NOT dodge some sides of his life.

    And now that Nina is dead, she need one too...i'm eagerly waiting on that. And if they put Beyonce as Nina i start a blog war.

  • fejmelbafejmelba 1,139 Posts

    they need to do some casting and find someone with a voice that can actually have some sort of similarity to Nina's

    eeh...?
    like idols ?

  • this movie in probably going to be on the corny end of the tip. let me guess at the structure:

    1. young genious (with cursory summary of kind of blue/rebirth of cool)
    2. drug problems (guys with fake afros)
    3. resurgence/denoument (return to bop)-to me he never regained the tone and confidence in his horn but respect is due

    the new breed of biopics is straight up hollywood. wait...they always were

    no movie can summarize the genius that is miles, or ray, or dylan...


    btw sandeler as dylan is bordering on criminal.....adam sandler has no talent. he cannot act.
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