Forest Whitaker To Direct/Star In First Ever 'Louis Armstrong' Pic
Date: 10/08/08 | By Njai Joszor
Filed under: Hollywood, Forest Whitaker
Academy Award-winning Actor Forest Whitaker is set to direct and star in 'What A Wonderful World' - a Louis Armstrong biopic.
"Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture," said Whitaker, who portrayed jazz great Charlie Parker in "Bird."
"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."
'What A Wonderful World,' which becomes the first bigscreen project to be authorized by the Armstrong estate, is expected to pick up during the musician's early years in New Orleans and primarily cover his career as a trumpet virtuoso and improvisational singer.
Ron Bass,
who will pen the original script, is exec producing with Oscar Cohen,
executive of the Armstrong estate and the Louis Armstrong Educational
Foundation reports Variety.
Cohen, who began working for the musician in the late ’40s as his
road manager, is granting the filmmakers exclusive access to his
personal accounts as well as to letters and other material in the
Armstrong archives.In addition to his role as a pioneering musician, Armstrong appeared in more than 30 films.
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Hello, this will be a great tribute to this wonderful musican. His history needs to be known, and shown to the world, when some of the younger generation have no ideal who these great musical artists are. Thank you, God bless you. From: Belinda