What Will Happen First: Don Cheadle Wins the World Series of Poker, or Don Cheadle Releases His Miles Davis Biopic?
July 9, 2009
Does this look like a man concerned with filming the life and times of Miles Davis?
On a non-cynical note, congratulations to Don Cheadle and everyone associated with last week’s “Ante Up For Africa” poker fundraiser in Las Vegas. The charity event raised funds for the humanitarian relief effort benefiting the victims of strife in war-torn Darfur.
But seriously, Don. Let’s get this thing moving forward.
The Miles Davis Movie Blog Celebrates One-Year Anniversary; Actual Miles Davis Movie Nowhere To Be Found
June 18, 2009
On June 17th 2008 I wrote a quick post about the official Miles Davis website and how I thought it could be much better. The original idea for this wordpress Blog was to be like what you are seeing now over at Miles Davis Online – basically a hub for All Things Miles Davis.
But then I decided to embark on chronicling every minute detail about the Miles Davis Biopic, a project with a long and frustrating history of trying to get produced for the silver screen.
One year later I could not be happier that I took on the endeavor.
Different from say tracking the news and opinions about a film you know is in production and will eventually go through the usual casting-shooting-marketing-hype gauntlet prior to release, following the Miles Davis Movie has been more difficult because, well, there’s really not been a lot of news.
A few quotes from Cheadle here, a comment from one of the producers there, but essentially the project, as far as I know, is on a slow burn. Yep, Don Cheadle is still on board to star and direct, and a script is out there somewhere, but finding a steady stream of news to post is problematic.
So, like Miles Davis himself, we improvised. And out of that is where I have had the most fun so far.
There have been posts upon posts about what the movie poster should look like; who should be cast to play important roles; when the movie should open; what the social media strategy might be; what songs must be featured; what scenes have to be included in the movie; is it better off as an HBO miniseries; what are the expectations…
You get the picture.
In a sense we’ve explored a movie where this isn’t one – yet.
But that’s been part of the great fun. People are generally interested in this project. It’s a movie most folks believe should be made, a story that has all the makings of a phenomenal cinema experience. Does it have the broad, commercial appeal of “Dark Knight?” No, but if you like music biopics like “Ray,” “Amadeus” and “Walk the Line,” (among many other good ones) then a movie about jazz legend Miles Davis fits the bill.
The comments, opinions and thoughts about everything and anything related to the Miles Davis Biopic have been terrific to read, and I truly appreciate everyone who has chimed in over the past year.
If you follow the Blog you probably started to see more non-movie content about Miles Davis, which is why I finally launched Miles Davis Online. But even though I’m happy about the new website, I remain faithfully committed to tracking the Miles Davis Movie until the day I am seated in a movie theatre watching the damn thing on screen.
Between jumbo, Hollywood blockbusters and a poker addiction hobby taking up all of Don Cheadle’s time, I don’t know how long it’s going to take for the Miles Davis Movie to get revved up in front of cameras, but we’ll get there.
To borrow and badly manipulate one of my favorite lines of dialogue from Apocalypse Now, as delivered by Robert Duvall as Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore:
“Someday this Miles Davis movie is gonna get made …”
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by the Miles Davis Movie Blog this past year to say hello, or just share thoughts about the biopic. I am very appreciative of the support and kind words.
We covered a lot of ground in Year 1, and believe me I have plenty more to say about what the movie poster should look like! But here’s hoping in year two we get lots of good news about the Miles Davis Movie.
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Hyatt
Today In Miles Davis Movie News…
June 6, 2009
Miles Davis, 2009
May 26, 2009
(This post also appears on St. Louis Jazz Notes)
Eighteen years after his passing and a generation or two removed from when his songs were considered ‘popular music,’ Miles Davis’ place in our cultural and musical foundation remains secure. And in this wired age, the discovery and experience of Miles Davis, one of the most influential musicians in jazz history, is as immediate and exciting as ever.
There are only a handful of entertainers that transcend art, those titanic names whose mythology becomes more absorbing with each passing year. In time, the lies and truths may blur, but the artistry is forever genuine.
Think Sinatra. Elvis. Perhaps James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, or The Beatles, James Brown and Louis Armstrong. Miles Davis is definitely on the list of the most important pop culture figures of the 20th century; those timeless icons that mystify and delight.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue this year, the tribute concerts, magazine articles and countless Internet posts reflect not only an artistic triumph much-deserved of such commemoration, but also that in 2009, there’s still an active, healthy interest in listening to, writing about and appreciating the legacy of Miles Davis.
If anything, the Kind of Blue anniversary has generated a cottage industry around its recognition, providing a wealth of great commentary and multimedia.
Perhaps the best way to gauge the popularity of Miles Davis these days is by simply speaking with those not interested in jazz. They might not listen to Miles Davis’ music, but they know “Miles Davis.” Perhaps for most people nothing springs to mind quicker when hearing “Miles Davis” than the word ‘cool,’ a multi-functional expression almost exclusively associated with Miles Davis in popular culture.
There’s that funny line of dialogue in the comedy “Billy Madison” that ends with the oft-repeated phrase, “….consider me Miles Davis.” That, perhaps, cemented the ‘cool’ association to the general public, even though the relationship between musician and descriptor run back 60 years.
‘Cool’ as Miles Davis might be (or has always been), how does a music legend long since passed exist in the media landscape today when the zeitgeist seems to shift with each new episode of American Idol ?
It’s hard out here for a jazz legend. Of course nostalgia never hurts. Great music, just like movies and literature, never tire and receive more heaping praise every year.
That’s fine for entertainment preference, but let’s give praise to how well ‘Miles Davis,’ the brand, the business, has converged with today’s frenetic digital culture; it’s a testament to everyone involved, from fans and writers to the musicians and businessmen, that Miles Davis continues to be a viable part of art, commerce and pop culture.
No denying the brand thrives – someone is buying all those CDs, books and posters. A new generation is discovering the music via the web, the great conduit for stumbling upon an MP3 of “If I Were A Bell.”
It’s cliché to repeat the adage that Kind of Blue is the one jazz CD even non-jazz fans own, but it makes a strong point about pop culture and being part of something ’special.’
Miles Davis fits that bill. He brings the mythology to the party, and we are compelled to take notice. People care and people are interested. Technology is our means to tap the source and engage Miles Davis from all angles.
His story and music are a click away. The web is packed with vintage images shot through the lens of famous photographers, and admirers can peruse thousands of random and creative photos on Flickr. Blogs track every reference and detail, and Web sites are dedicated portals of fandom, built on the ideas and opinions of likeminded admirers.
There are books, waves of critical analysis, skateboard designs, theatre productions and gallery retrospectives. YouTube is invaluable (thanks to the content owners) in presenting classic footage.
Consuming Miles. It can be quite…consuming, but oh-so enjoyable.
Miles Davis would be celebrating his 83rd birthday today. And while he is no longer with us, ‘Miles Davis’ is truly alive and well in 2009.
(This post also appears on St. Louis Jazz Notes)
The Miles Davis Movie: A Cannes Premier One Day?
May 20, 2009
Last year I wondered whether the Miles Davis Biopic will/should premier at Cannes. It’s Festival de Cannes once again, so I thought I’d revisit the topic. Actually, I’m watching this YouTube clip of the Inglorious Basterds press conference, via Hollywood-Elsewhere, and thinking how nice it would be to see Don Cheadle surrounded by the cast of the Miles Davis Biopic after a screening. Oh, the joy of it all. I can’t imagine a biopic about the jazz legend debuting in France not being a big deal, especially in France.
The official website for Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds” is up and running. I mention this because here is yet another piece of the Miles Davis Biopic that remains missing.
I know, there’s not even a studio behind it, or a marketing team to deal with all the multimedia fun. But still, how about a single page with a ‘Coming Soon’ logo?
It’s when you’ve been writing about a biopic for a year and realize the project is trapped in an endless, development limbo that you start wishing for the smallest of media pleasures — like a simple web page.
Considering Don Cheadle’s role in the next 15 Marvel film projects and his ongoing poker addiction hobby, it’s easy to see the Miles Movie being stuck in neutral for the foreseeable future. I hope I’m wrong.
Deadline Hollywood Daily is reporting that Universal has acquired a project based on the life of Frank Sinatra from Mandalay Pictures.
Phil Alden Robinson is writing the screenplay, and Marty Scorsese will direct.
Writes Nikki Finke: “The Sinatra family gave its permission, which is not easy to get, and youngest daughter Tina Sinatra will be an executive producer along with Robinson and Garry LeMel, the former president of Warner Bros music division and himself a musician. The producers will be Peter Guber and his movie exec Cathy Schulman.”
This is great news because it looks like all the pieces are falling into place for what could potentially be a solid film about the legendary Fran Sinatra. No guarantees, just like the Miles Davis biopic. Sometimes it’s just tough to capture that kind of genius and cultural significance – in any medium.
Of course I read news like this, and I wonder what the status is for the Miles Davis movie. Don Cheadle as star still makes a ton of sense, but one has to wonder if a director like Scorsese was involved if the project would not be farther along in its development.
The Sinatra project appears to be a BIG, Hollywood movie, so with it the requisite hype, but we don’t know where the Miles Davis biopic stands; indie-flick, tier-2 Big Hollywood movie, etc…
If anything, the news of a Sinatra biopic only makes the anticipation for a film about Miles Davis that much more heightened.
Hey, What’s Don Cheadle Doing?*
May 8, 2009
If the jumbo Hollywood blockbuster-to-be “Iron Man 2″ wasn’t impediment enough to Don Cheadle focusing on the Miles Davis Biopic, now we’ve got to deal with something even more likely to suck every last minute from the actor’s schedule – poker!
Don Cheadle has been signed by the online poker site Full Tilt Poker as a Friend of Full Tilt.
Full Tilt Poker has a number of poker heavyweights whose names appear in red on the site as members of Team Full Tilt or Friends of Full Tilt. Cheadle will appear in red any time he’s playing on the site.
Cheadle has played in some high profile poker tournaments, including the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, but he’s probably best known for being the co-founder of the Ante Up for Africa tournament.
Between Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes and No Limit Texas Holdem the prospect of a 2011 release for the Miles Davis Movie is not looking too good. But I’ll just wish Cheadle best of luck and hope he wins a lot of money; who knows, might have to finance the movie himself!
* when he’s not working on the Miles Davis Biopic
Although the Miles Davis Biopic appears to be in some advanced condition of inactivity (I don’t really know, just a guess considering Don Cheadle is off wearing armor and hanging out with Iron Man), but were it to crawl out of the development hole and in front of cameras, a typical biopic is definitely something not on the menu.
I’ve covered Cheadle’s comments regarding a more inventive approach to the biopic template, and even though I’m on board for the most part, I had to pull up this item I had saved that actually supports the strategy to veer away from the same thematic pattern most bio-pics follow.
Singing the same tune: Craig Mathieson laments the fact that most music biopics are variations on the same theme.
He makes some pretty good points.
The downfall of most music biopics is that they never capture the milieu that harboured and stimulated the artist. There’s no understanding of how a ‘scene’, be it a group of bands torn between camaraderie and competition, or a venue or rehearsal space they share, can be crucial to an artist’s development. Screenplays look for decisive moments, turning points, but there’s never been a film, for example, that’s captured the utter boredom of a pre-gig soundcheck.
It’s amidst the fear and chill of an empty room, hours before a show, that insignificant moments can reveal a musician’s abiding rites and beliefs.
The Miles Davis Movie: What Would Miles Think?
May 1, 2009
I think if Miles Davis were living today the biopic would have already been made. It might not have starred Don Cheadle, but I believe the project would have been pushed through with the help of a big-time producer or director.
At what point the idea for a biopic was dreamed up I have no idea. Miles may have already died before anyone even had an inclination about pursuing a biopic. But it’s hard to know, unless you’re family, or close friend, how he would have felt if a project were being discussed before he died.
Maybe he would have objected. Or maybe he would have been doing script notes in between gigs.
But let’s say he’s alive right now, and the project is still where it is. Either he just doesn’t give a damn, or he’s doing everything possible to get the movie made.
My gut tells me were he alive the film would develop into something more like “Ray,” but I could be totally wrong and he might actually love the ‘deconstructed biopic’ narrative that’s been mentioned by Cheadle and Darryl Porter (Miles Davis Properties).
The Miles Davis Movie
