The first look at Get On Up, the upcoming biopic on James Brown, has recently surfaced. Chadwick Boseman, who previously starred as Jackie Robinson in 2013’s 42, is playing the prestigious part of the godfather of soul.
Produced by Universal Pictures, the picture is midway through filming on location in Natchez and Jackson, Mississippi, and is being directed by The Help’s Tate Taylor and produced by Mick Jagger and Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazier.
Get on Up follows Brown’s rise from extreme poverty in Georgia to a world famous and highly influential Rhythm & Blues artist with a string of hits during the 60s and 70s, including “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, “Please, Please, Please,”, “Get On Up”, and “I Got You (I Feel Good),”. His innovative performance earned him the distinction as one of the founders of funk. Brown died of heart failure on Christmas Day, 2006 at age 73.
The film promises a “warts and all” telling of Brown’s life story, boasting an impressive cast, including Jill Scott as one of Brown’s wives, Dan Aykroyd as Ben Bart, the president of Universal Attractions, who represented James Brown for over 40 years, Viola Davis as Brown’s mother, Nelsan Ellis as longtime band mate Bobby Byrd, and Tikka Sumpter as Yvonne Fair and Nick Eversman as Mick Jagger.
Previously slated for release later in the year, Universal moved up the film’s release date to August 1, 2014.
