James Brown, Godfather of Soul, is coming to the movies courtesy of “The Help” director Tate Taylor. But Taylor told our intrepid LEAH SYDNEY that “Mr. Brown”– which is what they should call the movie since that what James liked to be called– some inside scoop that contradicts previous reports. Mr. Brown will be played by an unknown.
Taylor said: “Right now the project is in development. We’re getting the script back from the Butterworth brothers (Jez and John-Henry who recently wrote ‘Fair Game’) and we’re going to hopefully do it next summer.”
Does he have an actor in mind?
Taylor: “That’s my job. Script first. But it will probably be an unknown. It could be anybody. With an iconic role like this, an unknown will probably be the best route. Someone who can become somebody.”
Taylor was at the Samsung Mobile launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note ll at famed designer’s Kelly Wearstler’s Beverly Hills home. Joining him to check out all the cool technology that the phone has to offer were his “Help” Academy Award winning pal Octavia Spencer, Liam Hemsworth, Christina Aguilera, Vanessa Hudgens, Julianne Hough, Luke Wilson, Eliza Dushku, Jaime-Lynn Sigler and Allison Janney.
Lately there’s a Samsung event every few days somewhere, which is why, I guess, the Galaxy SIII has overtaken the iPhone 5.
Brian Grazer and Mick Jagger are producing the James Brown film, by the way, which makes sense. According to Keith Richards, he and Mick learned all their moves from Mr. Brown when Ronnie Spector took them to see him at the Apollo Theater in the early 60s. Brown, who died in 2006, rose from a childhood of poverty and violence to becoming one of the most important and vital black artists in history over his six decade career. Brown himself was involved with Grazer in the earlier development of the project.
