This is huge news! Warner Bros. will be behind the brand new Marvin Gaye biopic, What’s Going On.
After several failed attempts by different filmmakers, Warner Bros. got the clearance to move forward with production. Gaye’s estate and Motown are also a part of this deal, which means that there will be rights to use all of the late singer’s iconic songs.
The biopic will be directed by Allen Hughes and produced by Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine, and Andrew Lazar. In a recent interview, Hughes stated, “This is so personal for me. When I made my first film with my brother, we were fortunate to get “What’s Going On”, into the trailer for Menace 2 Society, and it was a game-changer in elevation the marketing of that film.
Hughes also went to say that Marvin Gaye was the artist he has always felt connected to. “Every film of mine but the period film From Hell had some Marvin Gaye in it, and I’ve just always connected to him. He’s the artist’s artist, with this ethereal voice that just comes out of the heavens.”
Deadline reports that Warner Bros. will have an $80 million budget for this film, making it the biggest budget ever for an African American music biopic. Jan Gaye, the widow of Marvin, will be an executive producer along with Suzanna de Passe.
The film is set to be released in 2023.