Top > Entertainment > 2007 > January > 2007-01-07

Spike Lee to Direct a Film About James Brown

The director Spike Lee will direct a movie about James Brown, "the god father of soul", that passed away last week. The project is being developed by Brian Grazer, who received an Oscar for producing the film A Beautiful Mind. The production will begin in 2008. Brown who said he was "the hardest working man in showbiz," died of a heart attack at the age of 73. He was a highly energetic musician known for such songs as Sex Machine and I Feel Good, invented funk music, and whose choreography has been the inspiration for Mike Jagger and Michel Jackson`s dance moves and paved the way for modern day hip-hop. The original script was written by Steve Baigelman and has since been through several drafts. Lee will rewrite a draft by Jezz and John Henry Butterworth.

In the past few years many biographical films have been made on singers, including Ray about the soul musician Ray Charles, Walk the Line about the country singer Johnny Cash, which were successful both in the box-office and in the award ceremonies. According to Variety, Brown took part in the preparation of the project and allowed legal access to his music.

Grazer was quoted in Variety regarding the production of the film: ``Having known him well, and after spending lots of time with him and researching his life, it`s somehow not surprising that he died on Christmas Day. He was the ultimate showman, all the way to the end.``