What’s going on? Lenny Kravitz is set to play Marvin Gaye– that’s what’s going on.
Kravitz will play the soulful singer in an untitled film from Julien Temple. The film will focus on, “the time Gaye spent in London in the early 1980s, when the soul singer attempted to get his addictions under control and career back on track with the help of British music promoter Freddy Cousaert.”
There have been other biopic projects on Gaye that have been in the works, most notably the one that F. Gary Gray tried to get off the ground back in 2008. Unforutantely, he was tangled in trying to get the music rights and had to move on. He is now concentrating on his N.W.A. biopic, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON.
Thankfully, the rights have finally granted and given to this film. Do not judge helmer Julien Temple solely on EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY (guilty pleasure classic). Temple has done music documentary work (THE FILTHY AND THE FURY) and music videos (Van Halen, Culture Club, Tom Petty, etc).
This is the first starring role for Kravitz who was most recently seen in THE HUNGER GAMES and before that, PRECIOUS. The film will start production next year.