Don Cheadle Inks TV Deal With NBC; ‘Miles Davis’ The TV series Sounds Like A Great Idea!
November 6, 2009
According to Variety, Crescendo, the production company Cheadle launched with former managers Kay Liberman and Lenore Zerman, has sealed a first-look TV deal at NBC.
Seriously – a TV series based on the life and times of Miles Davis? How is that not appointment television? A mini-series might not be too terrible either.
In truth, I don’t think the deal means Cheadle is going to start acting on TV (although he was awesome in a guest spot on “ER” and has appeared on a bunch of series in the past), but at least it’s nice to know someone with his talent will be developing projects for the little screen.
In an interview with Ed Potton in the Times of London, Don Cheadle not only mentions his plans to direct and star in the Miles Davis Biopic, but he also reinforces his decision to produce a film that does not follow the ‘Hollywood’ blueprint for biopics.
His pet project is a biopic of his childhood hero Miles Davis (see lists), which he plans to both direct and star in.“I didn’t want to do anything that resembled the biopics I’d seen. I want it to be relevant today, not a history lesson.”
I was unaware that Miles Davis was a childhood hero of Cheadle’s, or really just how much he cared about the jazz legend.
Asked about some of his favorite musicians, Cheadle had this to say about Davis:
I’ve loved him since fifth grade, when I started playing saxophone and my parents had his Porgy & Bess album. Very young I was just taken with the music. I was a student of it very early, and that’s just sort of never waned. A lot of people think they know a lot about Miles but they only know the name and the image, the iconography. You say: “Miles Davis” to most people and they go: “Yeah, jazz! He played sax or he played something, right?”
They don’t really know, and that’s fine. I wanted to make a movie for the people who didn’t know about Miles Davis, so they could just enjoy the movie and the music.
A movie for people who don’t know about Miles Davis. I can appreciate that. But do those people want experimental cinema, or do they want “Ray,” but instead of Ray Charles it’s the story of Miles Davis?
His comment brings up an interesting point about how best to show the life and times of Miles Davis in a feature film. To just ‘enjoy the movie and the music’ sounds to me like a recipe for traditional storytelling, yet we have heard the term deconstructed biopic associated with this project so it remains fuzzy which way Cheadle will take the narrative.
He could very well break the story into chapters, which weave in and out of Davis’ life. But without the proper context I’m not sure how someone who knows little or nothing about Davis can appreciate the scope of his life and music with this style of movie-making.
Although a script has been written – and rewritten – there isn’t any hard proof of where Cheadle is steering this project other than the comments he’s made this past year; mostly just reiterating his desire for something different than a traditional, cradle-to-grave storyline.
I’m on record as being fine either way, but I do think a traditional narrative might equal greater success with an audience not that familiar with Miles Davis. So much is still unknown about the scope of this biopic that all we really have is conjecture; whether or not the Miles Movie is a big studio deal, or an indie offering will go a long way in determining just how the story gets told.
I’m just glad he mentioned the movie. With all the Cheadle news these days centering on Iron Man 2 and his poker exploits, it’s mighty nice to see the Miles Davis Biopic get some pub. It remains a project in no hurry to get in front of cameras, but at least Cheadle is thinking about it, mulling over which way to take this very special movie project.
So even a brief goes a long way here and at Miles Davis Online. For now all we can do is speculate and continue asking the big questions – like who is going to play John Coltrane?
Don Cheadle Talks Miles Davis Movie at Comic-Con
August 8, 2009
I stumbled on this interesting interview with Don Cheadle during his press rounds at Comic-Con.
The back-and-forth questioning is brought to us via Paul Fischer and Moviehole (many thanks):
—
Question: What are you doing next? Do you want to do a smaller film next?
Cheadle: I’ve gotta get this Miles Davis project off, so that’s going to take my time.
Question: How’s that going?
Cheadle: It’s going good. We have a script that we’re working on. We’ve just gotta beat the bushes.
Question: Do you want to direct it?
Cheadle: If it doesn’t kill me, yes.
Question: What timeline of his life are you covering?
Cheadle: It’s not a cradle to grave story at all, but it touches a lot of parts of his life. It’s not a biopic.
Question: Which is your favorite of Miles’ groups?
Cheadle: I don’t have a favorite. There’s so many.
Question: What inspired your passion for his music and this project?
Cheadle: My heroin addiction. [Laughs] No. That’s probably not the best answer.
—
Wow. The acknowledgment alone is stunning. If they make the 2011 release I will be surprised. But it’s still ‘on.’ It is still… happening.
I’m surprised he doesn’t call it a ‘biopic.’ We already knew it was going to be ‘deconstructed’ and not utilize the usual Hollywood blueprint for a biopic (see: “Ray”). Sounds like he could be persuaded to give up the directors’ chair.
We have already touched on the issue of what happens if a new director were brought in to guide the project, allowing Cheadle to focus on playing Miles.
In the end it’s nice to know the biopic/not-biopic was brought up and Cheadle addressed it.
Raise your hand if you feel as it I perhaps started this Blog about two years too soon! Oh well. It’s been awesome all along, and the journey continues… Onward and upward!
No stoppin’ until this bad boy is cast, shot, cut, marketed and playing down the street at my local AMC theatres.
Deadline Hollywood Daily has a nice play-by-play of the ‘Iron Man 2′ panel at Comic-Con Saturday. The whole gang was there (Favreau, Downey Jr., Rockwell) including War Machine himself, Don Cheadle.
No, I didn’t ask Cheadle about the Miles Davis film b/c I stayed up in LA this weekend, but had I traveled down to the big event I totally would have asked him about the biopic. Would it have been out of order when he’s there to hype they already super-hyped Iron Man sequel? Perhaps. Would Iron Man fans have yelled at me for bringing up non Marvel Comics related items? Maybe.
But inquiring Miles Davis minds would like to know what’s up.
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.
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 A Long, Strange Trip It Still Is
April 19, 2009
When all is said and done there’s going to quite a story to write about the saga of bringing the life of Miles Davis to the big screen. There’s been one project or another circling the development track for years; one example from way back in 1993 had reports of Wesley Snipes preparing to star as the jazz icon, and just a few years ago Quincy Troupe’s “Miles and Me” was the possible foundation for a film.
What we have right now, and what appears the best hope for a big-screen version of Miles’ life, is an “authorized” biopic with the blessing of the Miles Davis estate; reports of the biopic hit the news cycle in March 2007 with the story about Don Cheadle lining up future projects to produce and star in. It was reported that Cheadle would make the Davis biopic his feature directing debut and that Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson were writing the screenplay.
Cheadle set up the projects through his Crescendo Prods. and is producing the biopic with Cary Brokaw and Vince Wilburn Jr. and Darryl Porter of Miles Davis Properties.
Perhaps the most critical element in all of this is Cheadle’s team securing music and life rights to the jazz legend’s story, which gives the undertaking the requisite gravitas to become the ‘official’ biopic of Miles Davis.
(Cheadle’s participation in “Iron Man 2” and “The Avengers,” among other projects, has added barriers to any real momentum toward getting production started on the biopic. This isn’t to say I’m not thrilled for Cheadle’s much-deserved roles in Hollywood blockbusters, or any movie he takes on, but the state of the Miles Davis biopic is what draws my interest, concern and allegiance.)
But two years later and the Miles Davis biopic continues in its comfortable status of in-development.
Needless to say the endeavor to get a film made about Miles Davis is creating quite the folklore.
I found a good post on Doug Ramsey’s Rifftides Blog from November 2006 called Miles Davis: The Movie?. Ramsey had some thoughts on the news of two, possible motion pictures that were being discussed for the Miles Davis story; one, the above-mentioned project based on Quincy Troupe’s memoir, which would go under the ‘unauthorized’ category, and the ‘authorized’ biopic from the estate, which we know today as the Don Cheadle project.
Three years later and still no movie. Progress has been made by virtue of a script floating around town somewhere and Cheadle offering up a few, subtle clues about his vision for the biopic, but any hope for a production start date is a ways off.
It’s been brought up before, and I’ve wondered as well, if the story of the Prince of Darkness is un-filmable. My stock answer is usually ‘no,’ but I’ll admit it’s definitely a tall order. But I have hope. I firmly believe Cheadle is the best actor to portray Miles Davis (a career-defining role in my opinion) and tell the story. He might be envisioning something non-traditional in how to ‘film’ that story, but I’m confident it’ll be special.
Back in ‘06 Ramsey recalled an encounter with Miles Davis and then added this about the possibility of a biopic: “If there is a movie, I hope it includes that thoughtful facet of a complicated man.”
Here we are in 2009 and the “If” still rings as loud… as we wait.
And wait.
Hey, What’s Don Cheadle Doing? *
April 8, 2009
The man who will one day dazzle the world of cinema by his portrayal of jazz legend Miles Davis is currently walking in the shoes of character Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes in the forthcoming “Iron Man 2.”
First Showing dropped a few on-set photos of Don Cheadle and Robert Downey Jr. yesterday (via SpoilerTV) now that shooting has commenced.
As we know, Terrence Howard was replaced by Cheadle in this sequel.
So definitely click over to see how Cheadle looks (quite good, I’d say) playing Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes in “Iron Man 2,” the movie franchise shaping up to be one, giant cinematic obstruction on the road to getting the Miles Davis biopic on screen.
* when he’s not working on the Miles Davis biopic
Today in Miles Davis Movie News….
March 31, 2009
On the flip side, there’s nonstop news regarding star, director and driving force behind the Miles Davis Biopic Don Cheadle’s involvement with Iron Man 2, The Avengers and the seemingly dozens of other projects Marvel Studios has lined up.
The Playlist has a very thorough breakdown of the Marvel projects already on the production menu and those still traveling through the creative process.
Part I – A Look Into Marvel Studios And The Fabled ‘Nine Film Plan’
Part II – A Look Into The Potential 2012 Marvel 3.0 Schedule & Beyond
If you look for the Miles Davis biopic on IMDB it’s listed with 2011 for release year. With The Avengers already slated, plus other projects in-development, I’m just not sure when Don Cheadle is going to be able to slide playing one of the most iconic figures in music and culture onto an already packed schedule.
Hmmm? Huh? Hmmm?
It appears likely that news of any real significance is going to be light.
However, conjecture will be plentiful.
I’ll breakdown this mega-anticipated biopic scene by scene, page by page and cast member by cast member if I have to – without knowing the slightest damn thing whatsoever about what is actually going on.
Still… it’s all about effort when writing about the biopic of a legendary, yet controversial musician with a non-traditional narrative that has now found itself locked in a battle for production space on an A-list actor’s schedule with a comic book empire that’s slowly but surely adapting its greatest and most popular characters into movies that will redefine the Hollywood blockbuster.
So there’s that.
We do have a new website on the cooker. That will be fun.
We’ll get there. It might be 2013 and re-developed into an Anime-style feature, but we’ll get there.
The Miles Davis Movie
