It’s been twenty years since Forest Whitaker first got under the skin of a true jazz great, with his wonderful turn as Charlie Parker in Clint Eastwood’s Bird.
And now he clearly feels it’s time he added another legend to that list, by signing on to direct and star in What A Wonderful World, a biopic of the late, great Louis Armstrong.
An actor/singer/trumpeter with one of the most distinctive voices in music – a raspy yet melodic growl – Armstrong, nicknamed Satchmo, was one of the first black performers embraced by mainstream America. The biopic is named after his most famous song, but other notable efforts that you might hear creepin’ and crawlin’ and mullin’ around in your head include the wonderful Bond theme, We Have All The Time In The World (from On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and Gone Fishin’, a duet with Bing Crosby.
What A Wonderful World is actually sanctioned by Armstrong’s estate. Screenwriter Ron Bass will executive produce the movie, along with Oscar Cohen, executive of the Armstrong estate and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Alain Goldman will produce, along with Edward R. Pressman.
The film will focus on Armstrong’s poverty-stricken early years in New Orleans, and his career as a trumpeter/singer who redefined the notion of what jazz singing could sound like.
Whitaker’s last outing behind the camera was on the forgettable family comedy, First Daughter. That was before he won an Oscar for The Last King Of Scotland, of course – and it looks like he’s using his newfound clout well, by directing a true passion project.
"Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture," Whitaker told Variety. "He lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world."
Filming will begin in Louisiana next summer.