Oh, Justin Timberlake. If he weren't so damn charming, it'd be pretty irritating that he seems talented at absolutely anything he does. After taking a seven-year break from recording, his latest album The 20/20 Experience has won critical praise and debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. He's become a favorite on Saturday Night Live and late night talk shows thanks to his enviable comedy chops and willingness to look goofy. And on the film front he's worked with such esteemed filmmakers as David Fincher (The Social Network) and Joel and Ethan Coen (Inside Llewyn Davis). So what terrain is there left for Timberlake to tackle? Producing his own movie.
To date Timberlake has a handful of producer credits under his belt, but most are for concert recordings. With Spinning Gold, he'll be bringing together a challenging biopic about the life of record icon Neil Bogart. This project was first announced back in 2011, but with Foresight Unlimited backing the proposed drama, Spinning Gold is in the spotlight once again.
Though Bogart only lived to be 39 years old, he proved a major force in the music business. With his heyday in the 1960s and '70s, he is credited with discovering and launching such memorable musicians as Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, KISS, Parliament, Donna Summer, and The Village People—just to name a few. As the biopic is being produced in part by an offshoot of the Bogart-founded Boardwalk Records, Boardwalk Entertainment, Spinning Gold's soundtrack will fittingly be packed with kinetic, classic tracks. And to give its soundtrack some extra appeal, there are plans to have contemporary artists create some special edition covers for the record as well. We assume Timberlake will be among them.
For his part, Mr. Sexy Back will produce and star as Bogart, a poor kid from Brooklyn who rose to the heights of self-made success in the tricky terrain of pop music. Timberlake also helped develop the screenplay alongside Bogart's son Timothy Scott Bogart. Speaking on Spinning Gold, the actor/singer/dancer/comedian/producer said:
“Neil Bogart was a fascinating individual whose vision, drive and passion brought us some of the most influential music of our time. I am proud to be part of this project to bring this incredible life story to the screen.”
Casting is underway as the project heads to the Cannes Film Market with Timberlake to score distributors in advance of production. Spinning Gold is expected to shoot early next year.
