Update on the Miles Davis movie.

[Hardbopjazz]

Kill the Trumpet Player centers on a few dangerous days in the life of Miles Davis (Cheadle), as he bursts out of his silent period and conspires with a Rolling Stone writer (McGregor) to steal back his music.

Cheadle will make his feature directorial debut from a screenplay co-written by Steven Baigelman.

BiFrost's Daniel Wagner is financing and will produce with Robert Ogden Barnum, Cheadle and Lenore Zerman for Crescendo Productions, Darryl Porter and Vince Wilburn Jr. Executive producers are Pamela Hirsch, Cheryl Davis, Erin Davis and Baigelman. Musician Herbie Hancock,a Davis collaborator, will also participate.

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/afm-ewan-mcgregor-zoe-saldana-join-don-cheadles-050000519.html

[bertrand]

Of course, they always have to add a fictitious white reporter. 'Steal back his music'. From CBS? WTF?

Bertrand.

[Rooster_Ties]

Are the dark, retirement years of Miles the vision of him we want the masses to see on the big screen?

I mean, sure *I* could do with six (6!) full-length, realy well-done Miles bio-pics, one for each era represented by each metal-spine Columbia box -- with an early Bird & Miles bonus feature, and maybe this "Retirement Miles" thing as a "bonus, bonus" thing. Heck, make it a 10-part mini-series on PBS - 90 minutes an episode.

But seriously, is THIS the era of Miles Davis that the jazz masses are yearning to see on the big screen??

[jazzbo]

I think the hope is that this may be a treatment that the non-jazz masses (which are really massive masses, massive enough for a movie to actually make money) will be intrigued by and want to see. I have doubts, but I think that's the aim, the way to get the picture made. It could be quite interesting. It could be utterly awful. It's a risk, indeed.

I admit to being both repulsed and intrigued. It will all depend on the plausibility of the main event in the movie, and I think I'll have to see it to know. So there, see, they even got me, the jazz fanatic to want to see it.

I'm going to see if I can scare up any info of what role Frances played in Miles' life at that time. I wouldn't have thought it was major enough for Zoe to be in the move. So again, more to wonder about. Not a bad thing.

I like Cheadle as an actor a lot. I want to give him a benefit of the doubt, and I'm willing to for now.

[erwbol]

I'm just anticipating the movie tie-in cover art for Miles releases from that point on.

Edited October 9, 2015 by erwbol

[colinmce]

Stupid, awful, pointless.

[ArtSalt]

This sounds awful: it is a gangster movie, set during a period when Miles was retired through ill-health and self-medicating himself into a musical silence, which the director informs us, is what is most intriguing for creative types like him. Hmmm, clearly not a fan of Miles' music then.

I think the verdict is already in with Colinmce's comments, which I would add likely to be insulting to the artist.

[medjuck]

As someone in the business let me say that the first rule of filmmaking is that most films don't get made. (Though, obviously, some do.)

[Rooster_Ties]

Just saw this on the Steve Hoffman boards...

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/join-miles-ahead-a-don-cheadle-film

[JSngry]

This sounds awful: it is a gangster movie, set during a period when Miles was retired through ill-health and self-medicating himself into a musical silence...

I don't know how much credence to give it, but I've heard a handful of peoples who I generally trust say that what at least drove Miles into retirement was actually a need to hide out from hits put on him for unpaid drug debts. What kept him there...

Whole story, I don't know, wouldn't even begin to guess. But "gangster movie" being as close to the reality as anything else...not gonna rule that out either.

[AllenLowe]

I'll give it a chance; especially if the white guy is the hero.

but seriously it may be a better idea if it takes place with a non-playing Miles, since Hollywood does jazz so badly, and they would have hired Marsalis to do Miles IF he was playing.

Edited June 12, 2014 by AllenLowe

[bertrand]

This is shaping up to be the Battlefield Earth of jazz movies.

Bertrand.

[AllenLowe]

Heaven's Gate?

though I can never figure out why anyone would give money, via Indiegogo. to subsidize rich actors.

[ejp626]

This is shaping up to be the Battlefield Earth of jazz movies.

Bertrand.

Maybe they can make it sorta psychedelic (the grungy tail end of the hippie era) and make it the Performance of jazz movies. Miles hiding out in a squat in North Hollywood from the hit men sent from CBS.

(Note: some people really like Performance, but I thought it was a terrible movie.)

[JSngry]

Hit men not sent by CBS....the legendary advances Miles always got from CBS supposedly went to paying coke debts to Bumpy Johnson and then others..or something like that. Or so it's been said, I still don't know how much if any to believe, but it's not entirely implausible, imo, not at all.

[ejp626]

I meant After he stole his music back from CBS, whatever that means. There can be hit men from the Mob and then some heavy sent by CBS following him around.

Maybe we can have Miles stop for a minute under a bridge, start to open the trumpet case (which he carries around with him throughout the whole picture), get ready to blow, but then he is interrupted by the guys chasing him. (Just trying to see what other clichés we can work in here. Maybe some showgirl that Miles is going to rescue...)

Honestly, I wasn't dying to see a biopic about Miles, but this sounds like a complete disaster, and I know I will never watch it. Sorry, Don.

[marcello]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/interview-don-cheadle-says-zoe-saldana-is-out-of-miles-davis-biopic-almost-all-of-davis-music-will-be-used-in-the-film

No music from the period (Agartha), relationship with Frances Taylor as a anchor (she had fled years before), something about a White Boy stealing his music and a Rolling Stone reporter.

What a mess!

Edited June 13, 2014 by marcello

[bluesoul]

Don Cheadle's Miles Davis Film Goes to Sony Pictures Classics

"What Don Cheadle has done here with the spirit of Miles Davis is truly astounding. We are not only witnessing for the first time this part of Miles Davis’ story as it deserves to be told, but also the birth of a major film director who happens to portray the iconic singer in a jaw dropping performance," SPC said in a statement.

Yeah, his singing really will be jaw dropping.

[erwbol]

So will be the classic that wasn't.

[jlhoots]

Heaven's Gate?

 

 

though I can never figure out why anyone would give money, via Indiegogo. to subsidize rich actors.

I like Heaven's Gate. 

[AllenLowe]

I actually never saw it. Ok then, let's say......Police Academy 36.

[jlhoots]

I actually never saw it. Ok then, let's say......Police Academy 36.

Ishtar

[johnblitweiler]

I actually never saw it. Ok then, let's say......Police Academy 36.

Ishtar

Hey, I liked Ishtar,

[Spontooneous]

http://defamer.gawker.com/sony-pictures-is-excited-about-its-biopic-on-iconic-si-1722457350

[jlhoots]

I actually never saw it. Ok then, let's say......Police Academy 36.

Ishtar

Hey, I liked Ishtar,

Different strokes.