Don Cheadle last turned a real-life story (with a few tweaks here and there) into a film with Miles Ahead. He has a new possibility in mind, setting up a deal to produce and star in a film about Jeremiah G. Hamilton, described as Wall Street's first black millionaire.
The drama would adapt Shane White's biography of Hamilton, Prince Of Darkness: The Untold Story Of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street’s First Black Millionaire. And it's certainly a fascinating tale, largely unnoticed by history except for mentions in other people's stories and his obituary. The book details the success of Hamilton in the 19th century as he's chased out of Haiti and arrives in New York to become a broker and land agent. His rapid rise irked many in society, and he broke various taboos of the time, including marrying a white woman and owning stock in rail companies when he couldn't even legally ride on their trains. Upon his passing, he was known as the richest black man in America.
Unlike Miles, Cheadle doesn't currently plan to direct this film, but he is reuniting with its writer, Steven Baigelman, for the new one. And who knows, if it's a big hit, someone might turn the story into a musical. They could call it Ham... Er... Jeremiah!?