Tate Taylor scored a huge hit and lots of critical acclaim for The Help, but he’s been taking his time developing follow-up projects. Now it looks like he may take on a major biopic, as Deadline reports he’s in talks to direct a movie about legendary musician James Brown.
This semi-official biopic has been in the works a long time, as Brown himself was involved until his Christmas 2006 death, working with scriptwriter Steve Baigelman and director Spike Lee. Since then Lee has left the movie behind and the screenplay went into the hands of Jezz and John-Henry Butterworth.
Now Brown’s friend Mick Jagger in onboard to produce, alongside Brian Grazer, who’s been spearheading the movie since its earliest days. If the openly gay Taylor does sign on he needs to find somebody to play the Godfather of Soul, with the movie covering Brown’s turbulent early life, his battles with drink and drugs, his four marriages and his growing musical legend.
We don’t know when it might shoot, but as it’s been in the works for six years already, dont’ expect it any time soon.
In Hollywood, the development of movies either seems to creep along at a snail’s pace or go at lightning speed. It seems Tammy is one of the latter. Only a few days ago we reported that New Line had purchased Bridesmaids star Melissa McCarthy’s script, Tammy.
