Finally, some real movement (at least revealed publicly) on Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis project, which he’s been trying to get financed for a few years now, and seems to be inching closer and closer every year.
Most recently, in June, he put out a call for young, black, talented trumpet players, although he didn’t specify what he wanted them for. But, we can assume it was for his Miles Davis film.
This afternoon, Screen Daily is reporting exclusively that international film financing, sales, and distribution company, IM Global, has boarded the project, and will shop worldwide rights at the upcoming American Film Market (AFM) in Los Angeles next month.
The report also states that Cheadle will direct the film (Antoine Fuqua was previously said to be attached), with Zoe Saldana and Ewan McGregor in talks to join the film’s cast. What roles exactly both actors are eyeing isn’t yet public information. Although, in Saldana’s case, my guess is that Betty Davis, Miles Davis’ second wife, is likely the part she’s in talks to play.
Also worth noting, Herbie Hancock is on board as executive producer and musical supervisor.
And finally, previously said to be titled titled Kill The Trumpet Player, the film is now called Shoot The Trumpeter.
Sounds vicious! I can only guess that maybe Don Cheadle was inspired by French New Wave cinema pioneer François Truffaut’s 1960 crime drama, Shoot The Piano Player. But I could be wrong. Just a guess.
Don has said that the film is definitely not your conventional biopic, instead calling it more of a gangster movie, suggesting that he might be taking some liberties with Miles Davis’ story.
The AFM begins on November 6, so we should know more (hopefully) after it all ends.
By the way, there’s a second Miles Davis film in the works, which George Tillman Jr is attached to direct. The film will be loosely based on Gregory Davis’ book, Dark Magus: The Jekyll and Hyde Life of Miles Davis (Gregory Davis being Miles Davis’ eldest son).
The plan for Tillman’s project, which will be called Miles Davis, Prince of Darkness, is to produce a more conventional biopic (the producers previously mentioned Walk The Line and Ray as potential models that they’ll follow).
