It’s been 50 years since Marvin Gaye made his greatest album — which also happens to be one of the greatest albums of all time. But that’s also an indicator of just how good the music that Gaye made was, and how much of a lasting influence it’s had over the years. And now, Gaye’s profile is set to get even higher, with the news that a host of big names are working together to bring his life story to the screen.
Deadline reports that the film will be called What’s Going On and is set to be directed by Allen Hughes. Joining Hughes as producers are Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine and Andrew Lazar. Poet and playwright Marcus Gardley is handling the screenplay. The article also notes that Gaye’s estate and Motown Records are both on board, which bodes well for the film’s soundtrack. (Remember the recent David Bowie biopic without Bowie songs?)
“I’ve just always connected to him,” Hughes said about Gaye. “He’s the artist’s artist, with this ethereal voice that just comes out of the heavens.”
It’s also worth mentioning that a high-profile Marvin Gaye biopic could also be very lucrative for his estate and his record label. A recent Rolling Stone article looking at the legacies of iconic artists noted that high-profile biopics and documentaries can lead to a resurgence of interest in that artist’s work — with both Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman serving as recent examples of this. Still, Marvin Gaye’s back catalog getting a major boost from a movie doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world.
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