miles davis Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Replace Rwandan refugees with dogs and what do you get? Don Cheadle's next film. The actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for Hotel Rwanda, has been cast in the similarly titled yet very differently themed movie Hotel for Dogs. It isn't just the title of the new project that reminds us of the earlier film; the synopsis provided by Variety tells us that Hotel for Dogs features a hotel that serves as a refuge and sanctuary for beings that would otherwise be dispose of. Of course, this time they are in fact dogs and not human victims of a civil war in Africa. Last month, when Monika brought you the story of Hotel for Dogs, it was said that Emma Roberts (I'll continue reminding you that she's Julia's niece) would star as one of two orphaned teens who hide stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. We had also learned that it was based on a 1971 children's book by Lois Duncan and that it would be effects artist Thor Freudenthal's directorial debut. The adaptation has been scripted by Jeff Lowell (John Tucker Must Die) and is being produced by Jon Gordon, Lauren Shuler Donner (Unaccompanied Minors) and Jack Leslie.

Cheadle apparently will not be a hotel manager this time. Instead, he will play a social worker who keeps the teens out of trouble. I can't find a plot description of the book, but I have a feeling that his role will not be too huge. Seeing as how he mostly appears in R-rated films (including his other 'Dog' title, The Dog Problem), Cheadle is probably just doing this for his preteen daughters. Despite coming from a book by Duncan, who also wrote the source of I Know What You Did Last Summer, this movie will likely be more family friendly. Hotel for Dogs begins shooting in early November, which is probably just after Cheadle finishes the espionage thriller Traitor and should fill some time while he continues to wait on start date announcements for the biopics about Toussaint L'Ouverture and Miles Davis.

Now this is a musical biopic I can get behind -- Miles Davis. One of the greatest jazz musicians, the man rocked the trumpet. He delighted in bebop and jazz -- cool, modal, fusion. He played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. He even opened up for bands like Grateful Dead and the Steve Miller Band. Unfortunately, there is also the classic struggle with drugs, which in his case was heroin and cocaine, but with the right man, the cinematic version will be great. That man is Don Cheadle, and I have this funny feeling he can pull this off, probably because he's all sorts of fabulous. Christopher Campbell shared rumors of this in December, and now we have official confirmation.

The film will, however, be challenging, as the actor plans to produce, make his directorial debut and star as Davis. Along with Crescendo Productions, they've secured the life and music rights, which Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson will pen into a screenplay. The pair aren't strangers to music and biopics -- they've previously written Nixon, Ali and Copying Beethoven. So far, so good! We'll have to see how it pans out once things fall into place. I'm not sure how soon it will be, since Cheadle has a whole slew of projects coming up to produce and star in. There is a political drama called Traitor, a comedy about a lawyer-turned-ref called Quest to Ref, the drama Broken Adonis that places Cheadle as an ex-con and Marching Powder the story of a drug dealer who spent years as a tour guide in a Bolivian prison.

Hollywood loves dueling biopics -- Columbus, Capote, Amy Fisher; if there's more than one source to mine from, there's more than one movie to be made. The latest figure to get head-to-head films is Charles Darwin. Though I haven't heard anything more on Chase Palmer's take, titled Evolution's Captain, since I wrote about it last November, it is supposed to be released some time in 2009. If that remains true, it will have some company, because Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas is also planning to deliver a Darwin film the same year (the bicentennial of the naturalist's birth).

Thomas' version will be based on "Annie's Box" (aka "Darwin, His Daughter and Human Evolution"), a bio written by Darwin's descendant Randal Keynes. While Palmer's film should deal more with Darwin's scientific explorations, this one will be centered more on the naturalist's home life, particularly with the death of his daughter Annie, which he blamed on inbreeding (Darwin married his first cousin). The adaptation is being written by John Collee, who I had actually thought would be appropriate for Palmer's film, and will be directed by Jon Amiel. A good guess is that Keynes' son Skandar, who acts in the Narnia films, will get a part as one of Darwin's kids (he had 10).

Other dueling biopics headed your way:

Miles Davis

Marvin Gaye

Chet Baker

Napoleon

There still seems to be no official press release regarding Don Cheadle's involvement in a Miles Davis biopic, but TMZ is reporting that not only is the actor confirmed to star as the jazz trumpet legend, but he will be directing the film, as well. Erik told us back in March about the project, but at that time it was thought that Sony Pictures would be involved and that Antoine Fuqua might be interested in directing it. Then, just a few weeks ago, Jessica mentioned that there are in fact two competing Davis pics.

Apparently, the main setback in getting this project started was securing music rights. That is where Sony ended up being involved, as producer Cary Brokaw went to the studio, which released his last two pictures, as a go-between in dealing with Davis' Columbia Records catalog (Sony Pictures and Columbia Records are owned by the same conglomerate). But the film will not be produced by the studio; Brokaw will reportedly be financing it independently. I predict, however, that in the end it will be distributed by Sony Classics.

Writing the screenplay for the bio are Chris Wilkinson and Steve Rivele, the Oscar-nominated duo behind other biopics, such as Nixon, Ali, Copying Beethoven and an upcoming film about Jackie Robinson. Depending on Cheadle's talent as a director -- we will see his handiwork first with next year's Tishomingo Blues --- he could very well go on to win an Oscar (or two!) for this project. We already know that he's an amazing actor and that the Academy loves biographical roles, so this is obviously a film that should generate buzz even before the thing has its first day of shooting.

Hollywood seems to have come down with a case of biography fever, what with a slew of movies coming out about Marvin Gaye, Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan, among others. Even Brian Wilson is setting up his own deal for an autobiographical film.

An article in The New York Times profiles two projects surrounding the life story of jazz great Miles Davis. One is being developed through Davis' estate; former collaborator and friend Quincy Troupes is developing the other. Miles Davis was a larger than life figure in music history, constantly changing his style with a career that spanned over a half a century. The Troupe script is based on his memoir Miles and Me, and is focused on the relationship between the two artists -- it would also be a look at Davis' personal problems, and there are a few to choose from.

Troupes' script has been financed through Patriot Pictures and Bacon Pictures, with an eye on signing a cast and director in the near future. The Davis estate has been toying with their project for a while now with little result. Don Cheadle had been attached at one time, but nothing was ever made official. So, with two projects in a race for the finish line, it looks like the Marvin Gaye picture isn't the only one with a little competition.

Mmm...odds and ends.

• According to none other than the nephew of Miles Davis himself (Yeah, nephews aren't necessarily that close, I know. So sue me - I'm trying to lend this thing a little credence.), Sony is currently "working on" a movie about Uncle Miles' life. Mr. Nephew claims that the studio is accepting scripts as we speak, and suggested that Antoine Fuqua might be directing Don Cheadle in the film. Whether Sony has even heard of this alleged project, however, has not yet been revealed.

• A travel agency in Taiwan is offering package holidays to Fort Macleod in Southern Alberta, Canada, the location that stood in for Wyoming in a little picture called Brokeback Mountain. (Needless to say, the advertising materials probably mention the movie once or twice.) Now, don't worry - people of any and all sexual orientations are welcome on the trip. That said, if you're gay and can prove it (disappointingly, there no indication of what that would entail), you get $200 off the regular price. Score!

• Remember the huge warehouse fire last fall that destroyed much of the history of Aardman Animation? Well, the company has finally receive their insurance money (over half a million pounds in total), and how the payment breaks down is fascinating. The ORIGINAL MODELS OF WALLACE AND GROMIT (that's history right there, kids), for example, were worth just £6000 pounds together, with Wallace coming in at £4000, twice the value of his trusty companion. Are these people mad? Why, Gromit's brain alone is far more valuable than everything Wallace is and owns. I mean, have insurers never seen the movies?