Today we get the first real taste of the upcoming Universal Pictures James Brown biopic, Get on Up, in the form of a full trailer. The film is directed by Tate Taylor (The Help) and stars 42‘s Chadwick Boseman as the Godfather of Soul. It will span Brown’s life, from his South Carolina childhood to his riot-averting concert in that followed Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination, and beyond — into his later, more eccentric and troubled years.
The film, which will be released September 26, has promised a “fearless” look at the star’s life in its promotional materials. That should include, as NME points out, an alleged addiction to angel dust mixed with cocaine in his Kool’s cigarettes. Castmembers and producer Mick Jagger joined Today in a segment this morning to discuss the film and Mr. Dynamite himself, who passed away in 2006 following a five-decade career.
As seen in the clip below, Jagger told Matt Lauer, “James Brown is a guy who comes from absolutely nothing, from nowhere, he has nothing, and he wants to be someone. He wants to be a big star, and he’s going to work like crazy to become a big star. And it’s about the effects on his personality. ‘When you achieve that goal, what happens to you?'”
The Rolling Stones singer also explained Brown’s influence on his own career:
“It wasn’t an influence like, ‘Oh, I’m going to cop his move or I’m going to cop his songwriting.’ The main thing I copped from him, which I think is a good thing to learn for any performer, is the way he interacted with the audience. The way he charmed them. The way he told them what to do. The way he gave them his emotions. The way he expected them to give back.”
There are currently a number of large profile music films in the works, including an Andre 3000-starring Jimi Hendrix biopic, an N.W.A film that’s had a few hiccups along the way, and the Aaliyah Lifetime-network movie that today announced a new star. As well, Jagger is currently working with Martin Scorsese on a HBO series about the New York music scene in the 1970s.
Watch the full Today show segment here:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
