Jill Scott To Play One of James Brown’s 3 Wives in Get On UpPosted by Wilson Morales
November 1, 2013
Source: THR
Jill Scott and Dan Aykroyd have joined that cast of ‘Get On Up,’ the biopic on the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, states The Hollywood Reporter.
The Philadelphia native will play one of James Brown’s ex-wives, but the name hasn’t been given at this time. According to Brown’s wiki page, “Brown was married three times. He married his first wife, Velma Warren, in 1953. Over a decade later, the couple had separated, with their divorce finalized by 1969. Despite this, Brown and Warren maintained a close friendship that lasted until Brown’s death. Brown married his second wife, Deidre “Deedee” Jenkins, on October 22, 1970. The couple were separated by 1979 and their divorce was finalized less than a year later on January 10, 1981. His third and final marriage was to Adrienne Lois Rodriguez (March 9, 1950 – January 6, 1996). Brown married her in 1984. After a contentious marriage that made headlines due to domestic abuse complaints, Rodriguez died in January 1996.”
Aykroyd will play Ben Bart, the president of Universal Attractions, at one time one of New York’s largest agencies. The agency repped Brown for over 40 years.
The Help’s Tate Taylor will be directing the film with 42’s Chadwick Boseman portraying Brown. The story centers on the singer from humble beginnings to the height of stardom while recounting his battle with drug addiction, arrest for domestic violence, and flirtation with financial ruin.
Already cast in the film are cast members from The Help (Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, True Blood’s Nelsan Ellis) and AMC’s Low Winter Sun actor Lennie James.
Universal Pictures is distributing the film, with Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Erica Huggins serving as producers, along with Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman under their Jagged Films banner. Production starts shooting in November as the film is set for an Oct. 17, 2014, release.
Scott was last seen in David E. Talbert‘s romantic comedy, ‘Baggage Claim.’ Aykroyd last appeared in HBO’s Behind the Candelabra with Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. He is also executive producing the upcoming John Belushi biopic that will star Emile Hirsch and is to shoot next year.
