Actor Jamie Foxx attended the 3rd Annual Airbnb Open Spotlight at Various Locations on Nov. 19 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Alberto E. Rodriguez)
"White House Down" actor Jamie Foxx has been tapped to executive produce the first limited TV series about the soul legend Marvin Gaye. He is now tackling the life story of another musical icon after winning an Oscar for playing Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic "Ray."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Foxx will produce the Marvin Gaye TV series alongside Passe Jones Entertainment's Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones. Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. signed Gaye to the legendary Detroit label in 1961 and gave his official blessing for the new project.
The Marvin Gaye TV series will be the first series to be authorized by the Gaye family. It will be a powerful and definitive telling of the singer's life story, according to the legend's son Marvin Gaye III, who will also be executive producing.
Jones and de Passe are currently talking to Sony/ATV about using Gaye's music for the Marvin Gaye TV series. They will shop the upcoming series to various linear and digital outlets, Variety reported.
To those who are not aware, the soul singer Marvin Gaye is behind the hits such as "What's Going On," "Sexual Healing," and "Let's Get It On," keeping him near the top of the charts well into the 1980s. At Motown, he found success with his romantic musical persona, partnering with duet partners like Mary Wells and Tammi Terrell.
However, Gaye's later years were blighted by a drug problem and a dispute with U.S. tax authorities that led to him moving to Europe. He became one of the Motown's most successful artists before he was fatally shot in 1984 at the age of 44 by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr., following a family dispute in their Los Angeles home.
There have been multiple attempts to give Marvin Gaye the biopic treatment. F. Gary Gray, Cameron Crowe, James Gandolfini, Scott Rudin, and actors including Jesse L. Martin and Lenny Kravitz all have tried to bring Gaye's story to the screen. However, until now, none had been authorized by Gaye's family.
Foxx admitted that Marvin Gaye's story has always fascinated him. He also added that he has been a huge fan of the singer's brilliance in music, which is unparalleled. It is still unknown if he will play the singer in the upcoming series.
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