Well, it's not Don Cheadle's Miles Davis project, or even a Miles Davis-centered film, but you should know that production is in full swing in Trollhättan, Sweden on a feature film titled Monica Z (full title Monica – A Lingonberry in a Cocktail) based on the life of the famous Swedish jazz vocalist and actress, Monica Zetterlund, whose career ran from the late 1950s until 2005, when she passed.
Edda Magnason is playing the title role in a production that's being described as a powerful drama about a fascinating life story, based on an original screenplay by Peter Birro and directed by multiple award-winning director Per Fly. (yes, that's correct).
So why do I mention this here? Well, browsing through the list of the film's credits, I saw a few familiar names of real life people who will appear in this film (although it's uncertain just how involved each will be); for example, the above mentioned Miles Davis is one of them, with actor Robbie Morgan (photo above) listed for the part. We've profiled a number of films with Robbie in them here on S&A, like the comedy web series The Married Bachelor, as well as Redemption, For Colored Boys, and Busted On Brigham Lane. The man stays busy.
I sent Robbie a message, asking for any further info he can give on this; he hasn't replied yet, but you'll know when I know more.
It's not entirely clear what their relationship was; I searched Google and couldn't find much. As MilesDavisOnline.com notes. it's clear that they definitely met decades ago, when Miles and John Coltrane were still playing together, so we're talking late 50s, early 60s, before Monica herself became a star. I couldn't tell if they (she and Miles) created any jazz music together.
Those of you in-the-kno can jump in and enlighten the rest of us, as my research didn't reveal a lot, and wasn't consistent. I didn't help that a lot of it was in Swedish.
But, in addition to Miles, another jazz star who will be in the film as well is Ella Fitzgerald. Amelia Fowler is listed as the actress who will play that part. It's also not entirely clear what that relationship (between Ella and Monica) was.
The film is produced by Stella Nova Films in co-production with Film i Vast and SVT with support from the Swedish Film Institute. It is distributed by the Swedish Film Industry.
Monica – A Lingonberry in a Cocktail is being shot in both Sweden and the United States, with a theatrical release scheduled for Sweden in the fall of 2013.
Here's a photo of Amelia Fowler:
