Lenny Kravitz is set to play singer/songwriter Marvin Gaye in a still-untitled biopic to be directed by Julien Temple (The Filth and the Fury), Deadline reports.
Said to focus primarily on Gaye’s life in London in the early 1980’s, the film will focus on Gaye’s struggle against addiction prior to his untimely death in 1984 when he was shot by his own father.
A previous biopic of Gaye was planned some years back with F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) set to direct. There’s no update on the status of that film, but the Temple version is said to have locked down all necessary musical rights.
Kravitz will making his debut as a leading man. The musician-turned-actor has previously appeared in films like The Hunger Games and Precious. He’ll soon reprise his role as Cinna in The Hunger Games Catching Fire and will re-team with director Lee Daniels for a supporting role in The Butler.
(Photo Credit: Lia Toby / WENN.com)
