Don Cheadle Really Wants to Make His Miles Davis Movie

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Don Cheadle is an actor we love more than his choices. He's really good in this weekend's indie "The Guard," but when he's in bigger movies (like "Iron Man 2" or the "Ocean's 11" flicks), he tends to be the guy on the periphery. When he gets a starring role (like in "Hotel Rwanda," "Traitor" or "Talk to Me"), he usually outclasses the material. He's got one Oscar nomination to his credit, and he deserves more -- but first he's got to find the right project.

Maybe that's why he's bound and determined to get his Miles Davis biopic off the ground. He may have an answer on that soon.

While doing press for "The Guard," he was asked about his long-gestating film that will cover the life of the revered jazz trumpeter behind such classics as Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew. And Cheadle sounded upbeat:

The last we heard about Cheadle's dream project was in December and at the time, he revealed the script was finished but funding was needed. When asked about the film which he plans to direct and star in, Cheadle replied, "Tap wood. This week, we'll know a lot more." Pressed if he meant financing was coming together, Cheadle clarified with a simple "Yes."

Hollywood has been trying to make a Miles Davis film for almost 20 years. In the early 1990s, Wesley Snipes was close to playing Davis, but then that version fell apart, with Cheadle becoming involved in 2007. And just about ever since then, Cheadle has been talking up the project and its imminent production. "Miles Davis is a beloved artist," he said more than a year ago. "But not to the degree that a 17-year old would know who he is. ... In my attempt to tell the story, I'm not trying to do some reverential all-of-us-bow-down-to-Miles-the-icon. I'm trying to present him as a man."

Is that why it's taken so long to get financing for this biopic? You'd think that Davis' stature would make a film about him a no-brainer, but apparently it's been a headache. It may also be because Cheadle, who's a huge Davis fan, has been helping to develop the script and stressing the importance of getting the story right. ("There would not be a screenplay without Don Cheadle," screenwriter Steven Baigelman said in December. "We've had our nose to the ground doing a lot of researching, talking, walking, watching and listening.")

Clearly this Davis project isn't just a bid for an Oscar for Cheadle: He wants to do a good job with the legend's life. Last year, he sounded determined but also patient: "Now is a good time, 10 years ago would have been a good time, and 10 years from now it will still be a good time to see a dynamic, entertaining movie that's wall-to-wall Miles Davis where the music will hopefully spark some desire to know more about the man."

At this rate, that's how long it may take him.

'The Guard' Star Don Cheadle Says Funding Announcement For Miles Davis Biopic Could Come Very Soon [The Playlist]