Universal has set the theatrical release date for its James Brown biopic, titled Get On Up, for Friday, October 17, 2014.
Chadwick Boseman is playing Brown in the Tate Taylor-directed film.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will reunite with their The Help director, to take supporting roles in the film, playing Susie Brown, James Brown’s mother, and his aunt, Anne Tunney, respectively.
True Blood star, Nelsan Ellis most recently signed up to play Bobby Byrd, James Brown’s longtime friend and musical collaborator.
Shooting on the project begins this fall, with Brian Grazer producing alongside Mick Jagger, for Universal Pictures.
Taylor plans to shoot the film in Mississippi, including filming at the Mississippi Coliseum on the state fairgrounds, where Brown performed a concert in February 1969.
Promising a warts and all telling of Brown’s life story on film, the screenplay was penned by Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth (they wrote the script for Fair Game, the Naomi Watts and Sean Penn film).
