Forest Whitaker to star and direct Louis Armstrong biopic “What a Wonderful World”
Forest Whitaker will direct and star in Louis Armstrong biopic “What a Wonderful World” for Paris-based Legende, the company behind Oscar winning sensation. “La Vie en rose.”
Ron Bass, who will pen the original script, is exec producing with Oscar Cohen, executive of the Armstrong estate and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.
The film, the first bigscreen project to be authorized by the Armstrong estate, will kick off during the musicians impoverished early years in New Orleans and primarily chronicle his career as a trumpet virtuoso and improvisational singer.
“Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture,” said Whitaker, who portrayed jazz great Charlie Parker in “Bird.” “He lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world.”
“What a Wonderful World” will begin shooting in the summer in Louisiana.