After years languishing in the void of rumours, stalled projects, dream collaborations and missed opportunities, the story of James Brown – the Godfather of Soul – is finally arriving on the big screen. With The Help’s director Tate Taylor calling the shots and 42’s Chadwick Boseman as the man himself, the first trailer for Get On Up is now online.
brightcove.createExperiences();
Working from a script he had a hand in alongside Steve Baigelman, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth, Taylor’s film charts the rise of Brown from his younger days in poverty after his mother walked out, his troubled growing pains period and his ascension to become one of the biggest musical stars of the 20th century.
Boseman is tackling the tricky central job of bringing one of the most recognisable faces (and voices) in the music world to life, with support from a blend of Taylor’s Help team (Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in particular as Aunt Honey and Brown’s mother, Susie) and the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Nelsan Ellis, Tika Sumpter, Lennie James, Craig Robinson and Keith Robinson.
The trailer is certainly buzzing with energy, propelled by remixed Brown songs and Boseman’s livewire work, but the film’s big challenge will be pleasing the legend’s legion of fans. Audiences will get their chance to judge when the movie arrives on August 1.