at 20:41 on December 27, 2006, EST.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The late "Godfather of Soul" James Brown will rise again - on screen.

Spike Lee has signed on to direct a feature film about the singer produced by Brian Grazer and Imagine Entertainment, Paramount Pictures announced Wednesday. "It's an authorized biography done with the co-operation of Mr. Brown before his passing," Paramount spokeswoman Nancy Kirkpatrick said without further comment.

Lee will rewrite a draft by Jezz and John Henry Butterworth, the trade paper Daily Variety reported on Wednesday. The script has been through several drafts since Steve Baigelman wrote the original. The movie could be in production by late 2007, Variety said.

"Having known him well, and after spending lots of time with him and researching his life, it's somehow not surprising that he died on Christmas Day. He was the ultimate showman, all the way to the end," Grazer told Variety on Tuesday.

Messages left Wednesday for Grazer at his Los Angeles office were not immediately returned.

Brown, whose legendary brand of soul and funk influenced hip-hop, disco and rap, died of congestive heart failure on Christmas morning in Atlanta at age 73.


©The Canadian Press, 2006

wow

mmm...yummy. I'd watch that. C'mon, Spike Lee+James Brown Movie=me watching it. Its a no-brainer

Now this outta be good. Can't wait.

Wonder who will get the lead role. Part of me hopes it is an unknown actor.

Sounds cool, but I can't think of a known actor that looks a thing like James Brown. I wonder if they will find someone who can pull off James Brown as good as Jamie Fox pulled off Ray Charles.

this will reek of being opportunistic even though it was already in the works before he died. i hope it comes out well, that spike does him justice (whatever that means). his docs are arguably better than his films and X would be the only "biopic" he's done that we can compare what he'd do with an iconic figure like James, so that's encouraging. i agree, go with an unknown. even though i didn't want to see Denzel as Malcolm, he killed it.

with Spike directing this...the movie will be off the chain!!! The only mystery is who will take the headliner....i agree with the others, this should be an opportunity for an unknown actor who can closely fit the role...

that is unless Spike can find a known actor to fit the bill, but i can't think of one right now who would suffice....

Denzel was perfect as Malcolm X, and Jamie was perfect as Ray, wonder who will be perfect as James???

well, as far as someone who looks like James...well, two I can think of two Eddie's. One, is Eddie Grifin, who kind of looks like him and is around the same height, but I don't know if he could perform well in a dramatic role?

Eddie Murphy, of course, impersonated Brown very well in his SNL days. IN fact, he plays a character similar to JB in Dreamgirls. This would indeed become Eddie's signature film if he does it. If you have Eddie in the staring role, this movie becomes one of the biggest grossers in box office history.

Besides the aforementioned actors, i can't think of any others except for maybe Leon, who can sing a little, he played Litttle Richard and starred in the 5 heartbeats, but he is too tall. Lorenz Tate????? Lorenz is the right height and played Frankie Lymon....so we have a few to work with.

Any other suggetions?

Page 6 of the NY POST today is reporting that Usher is the front runner for the role due in large part to his recent stint on BWAY in Chicago

C'mon now

He ALREADY signed the biopic projects for Jackie Robinson and Joe Louis,,,,now he just signed for James?

One thing at a time, brotha,,,,,which one that will be?

I love Spike Lee and I'm rooting for this just like I mentioned for the other thread,,,,but something tells me he got excited about this just as Whoop Goldberg got excited about Celia Cruz's biopic(which we haven't heard from since her death).

I don't know man, I want to see a James Brown biopic but I want the work to be focused,,,,,sloppyness and a James Brown biopic ain't supposed to be @ the same page.
[Edited 12/28/06 11:00am]

Interesting development indeed.

How about Prince ?

or is that too obvious

Harlepolis said:

true...i'm wanting/hoping that the movie is as just "on the one" as james was/is.

Usher? WTF? Oh, hell naw....Usher doesn't sound like a Spike Lee person, besides, he's a pretty boy, Page 6 is full of shit, everyone knows that. If it's Usher, they dropped the ball big time. And he's too light...and sounds nothing like JB.

goat2004 said:

true. but when it's time for someone to make a ben vereen biopic, that brotha betta be on-call.

osc1r said:

Not too obvious - it hasn't occured to people, because Prince can't act.

booyah said:

****

I'm betting $ it'll be Eddie w/ all the positive attention he's getting for Dreamgirls.

.....What about this dude.

As JB

If he took it serious, and not as a joke.
His Imitation of JB is ok. He can some what hold a note.

What about Mystikal? or is he in prison

I just said this on another thread, but I think they'll use an actor, not a musician. You can fake the music (like they did in Ray), but not the acting.

Ya'll gonna laugh at this, but if he's still got it, nobody had the energy and spirit of James like this guy.....

Yo friggin' aroonsEde Murphy is a much beter choic than Wayne rady. I should sla you people for not mentioning Eddie Murphy.

kdj997 said:

you're at least the third to mention Eddie murphy on this thread

kdj997 said:

Sippin' on some siz-erp!

geeez !

Eddie is a good choice.

CalhounSq said:

James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party .All he needs to do is fatten up a little bit and he'd be perfect.
[Edited 12/28/06 16:04pm]

StarMon said:

He reminds me of Al Green.


[Edited 12/28/06 17:48pm]

What about Chiwetel Ejiofor? He was great in Dirty Pretty Things and he worked with Spike in She Hate Me.

Stax said:

Too pretty,,,,and we're talking about James Brown(god rest his soul)

The man ain't been dead a week and they already doing movies for him...

ABeautifulOne said:

the article states that this was already in developement and James was involved

WTF? Tom Cruise 2 star as JB? U have got to be kiddin, right? It's like one of those articles U read, and U R saying 2 yourself, naw, this must be a joke, right? Opinions on this, please, please, please...

link - http://www.pugbus.net/art...opic.shtml