The first look of Chad Boseman as James Brown in Get On Up has been revealed by Entertainment Weekly.
Boseman takes the lead as the soul legend after his portrayal as Jackie Robinson in 42. After a successful run with The Help, director Tate Taylor decided to tackle Brown’s life story as his second feature film.
“As I dug in and started to discover more about him, the good and the bad, I loved the reasons he was often bad and I loved the reasons he was good. I love that he would stop at nothing to keep reinventing himself so he could stay current, and as a result he changed music,” Taylor told EW.
The biopic will cover Brown’s rise from humble beginnings in Georgia to becoming the legend behind hits “The Payback,” “It’s A Man’s World,” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” and more through the 1960s and 1970s.
Brown has a storied past with many legal troubles, multiple wives, children, drug abuse but everything centers around his prolific music career. He is also best known for his electrifying on stage dance moves.
“James Brown, really, was the first real dancer that broke the ground on how people move,” Taylor said.
Boseman is having “so much fun” while filming. Joining him are Nelsan Ellis, Viola Davis as Brown’s mother, and Octavia Spencer as his brothel-running aunt. Tika Sumpter and Jill Scott round out the cast.
Get on Up is currently shooting in Mississippi and is set for an August 1, 2014 release date. Before that Boseman will star alongside Kevin Costner in Draft Day, which hits theaters April 11, 2014.
[Photo Credit: Entertainment Weekly]