It’s taken the story of James Brown’s musical legacy a decade or more to get to the big screen. Spike Lee was adamant about making it, but the biopic fell through his fingers a few years back (with potentially Eddie Murphy in tow, imagine that?). Perhaps in what might be a safer, more crowd-pleasing, awards-friendly version, Universal is releasing “Get On Up” this summer from Tate Taylor, the director of “The Help,” and Chadwick Boseman, the star of “42,” as the godfather of soul before he was king.
Here’s the official synopsis.
In his follow-up to the four-time Academy Award-nominated blockbuster The Help, Tate Taylor directs 42’s Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get on Up. Based on the incredible life story of the Godfather of Soul, the film will give a fearless look inside the music, moves and moods of Brown, taking audiences on the journey from his impoverished childhood to his evolution into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Boseman is joined in the drama by Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd.
A new trailer and new photos have arrived which you can see below. Starring Boseman, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Nelsan Ellis, Lennie James, Tika Sumpter, Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd, “Get On Up” hits theaters on August 1st.
