Marvin gaye biopic
Warner Bros. Acquires Marvin Gaye Biopic ‘What’s Going On’ With Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine Producing
Warner Bros. has acquired Marvin Gaye biopic “What’s Going On,” Variety has confirmed.
“What’s Going On” has been in the works for a number of years. The news that Dr. Dre was working on a film about the late essence icon first broke in 2018. Dr. Dre will create alongside Jimmy Iovine and Andrew Lazar, with Allen Hughes set to straight. After a number of tries to adapt Gaye’s story for the huge screen, Warner Bros. has struck a deal that includes a script by poet-playwright Marcus Gardley and the rights to use all of Gaye’s signature songs, as his estate and Motown were part of the agreement.
Gaye’s existence has long warranted its place among great music biopics. The legendary singer put out such hits as “What’s Going On,” “Sexual Healing” and “Let’s Get It On,” and was later fatally shot in 1984 at age 44 by his father. Over the last few decades, F. Gary Gray, Cameron Crowe, James Gandolfini, Scott Rudin, Jesse L. Martin and Lenny Kravitz have all fa
Terrence Howard passed on Marvin Gaye biopic because he ‘would’ve had’ to kiss a man: ‘I would cut my lips off’
What’s going on?
Terrence Howard said he turned down playing Marvin Gaye in a Lee Daniels-directed biopic after being told that the late singer was gay.
The “Iron Man” star, 56, distributed the revelation on Sunday’s episode of Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast.
The conversation turned to Gaye after Howard confessed the “biggest mistake” of his career was not portraying Smokey Robinson in a movie about the Motown icon.
Though Robinson, 85, asked Howard to play him, the thespian said he was in the midst of a “conversation with Lee Daniels about playing Marvin Gaye.”
Maher, 69, argued that the narrative of the “Sexual Healing” hitmaker’s life was “much more interesting” than Robinson’s, and that Howard “would’ve been perfect as Marvin Gaye, and that is a story that needs to be told.”
However, Howard — who starred on Daniels’ TV series “Empire” — grew cold on Daniels’ biopic after a conversation with legendary record producer Quincy Jones.
“I was over at Quincy Jones’ house and I’m asking Quincy, ‘I’m hearing rumors th
Terrence Howard Turned Down Marvin Gaye Biopic Because He Didn’t Want to Embrace a Man: “I Would Cut My Lips Off”
Terrence Howard missed out on the chance to participate both Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye in biopics but for different reasons.
He calls passing on the former the “biggest mistake” of his career, saying on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast that he declined the give from Robinson himself because he was already talking with Lee Daniels about playing Gaye in another biopic.
Maher agreed that was the right call, saying Gaye’s animation story was “much more interesting” and that Howard “would’ve been perfect as Marvin Gaye, and that is a story that needs to be told.”
But Howard didn’t end up portraying Gaye either.
“I was over at Quincy Jones’ residence and I’m asking Quincy, ‘I’m hearing rumors that Marvin was gay’ and I’m like, ‘Was he gay?’” Howard said. “And Quincy’s like, ‘Yes.’”
That was a dealbreaker for Howard, he told Maher.
“They would’ve wanted to execute that, and I wouldn
Warner Bros Lands Allen Hughes-Directed Marvin Gaye Film ‘What’s Going On’; Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine To Produce
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros has landed What’s Going On, a biopic of iconic mind singer Marvin Gaye that Allen Hughes will direct, and produce with Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Andrew Lazar. The studio acquired a script by poet-playwright Marcus Gardley (he wrote the musical The Dye Purple for WB) and the singer’s estate and Motown are part of the deal so there will be rights to employ all of Gaye’s signature songs. This finally will transport to the screen the singer’s story, after many previous attempts by unlike filmmakers stalled or fell short of the rights needed.
“This is so personal for me,” Hughes told Deadline. “When I made my first film with my brother, we were fortunate to get “What’s Going On” into the trailer for Menace 2 Society, and it was a game changer in elevating the marketing of that production. Every film of mine but the period film From Hell had some Marvin Gaye in it, and I’ve just always associated to him. He’s the artist’s designer, with this ethereal voi