The elusive Dan Aykroyd and singer Jill Scott have joined the cast of the upcoming James Brown biopic GET ON UP, which is being produced by Mick Jagger's Jagger FIlms banner. The Tate Taylor-directed pic also stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Chadwick Boseman as Brown in a "story that takes the singer from his humble beginnings to the height of stardom, while recounting his battle with drug addiction, arrest for domestic violence, and flirting with financial ruin several times." Boseman recently portrayed legendary baseball star Jackie Robinson in 42, so he's on a roll playing biographical parts it would seem. Taylor's last directorial effort was THE HELP, which also starred Davis and Spencer, the latter of which took home an Oscar for her part.
Aykroyd has been quoted as saying how selective he is with projects he'll take on these days, so it's interesting to see what he'll take on anymore. Certainly, we all just wish he'd get a GHOSTBUSTERS sequel going, but this is a project that seems fitting, given his history with James Brown's music during his Blues Brothers days. Aykroyd will be playing Ben Bart, the president of Universal Attractions, the agency that repped Brown for more than 40 years. Scott will play Brown's wife, in a role that is being written specifically for her.
I liked THE HELP much more than I thought I would and am interested to see not only if Tate Taylor can pull out another win, but if Boseman can echo the personality, mannerisms, and power that was James Brown. Not easy shoes to fill by a mile. If Boseman pulls it off the role could end up being a serious game changer for the rising star.
GET ON UP is slated for release October 17, 2014.