Biopic of James Brown's life set to begin casting, says producer

A feature movie about the life and times of legendary soul singer James Brown is set to begin casting very soon, according to the film’s producer.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, producer Brian Grazer said that he will begin casting soon for the biopic, and that finding the right actor to play the godfather of soul will be a painstaking task.

“We’re going to start casting and we’re going to have to test lots of actors and be determined to pick the right one,” Grazer said in the interview, “no movie starts in a day.”

Also set to co-produce the film with Glazer is Mick Jagger, who himself is a big fan of Brown’s music.

Grazer said that Jagger has agreed to split the production costs with him.

“I also think Mick is so amazing. For him to decide he's going to participate and split half the money – he's a man of integrity, and I feel pretty good about that,” said Grazer.

Grazer has produced several critically-acclaimed films about historical figures already, like Apollo 13, American Gangster, 8-Mile and A Beautiful Mind to his credit.

According to the New York Times, Grazer has obtained the rights to Brown’s music from the singer’s estate.

The film, which is yet to be titled, was in early development while Brown was still alive. There was reportedly initial skepticism from Brown and his family as to how a biopic might portray the singer’s sometimes-turbulent life.

The movie was originally set to be directed by Spike Lee, but thanks to some shake-ups with production costs tied to music rights, Tate Taylor is now the new director.