A brand-new James Brown documentary produced by Mick Jagger and Questlove will be released soon. A &E Network announced on 26th February that the four-part documentary will premiere in 2023. Deborah Riley Draper will helm James Brown: Say It Loud, which will be executive produced by Mick Jagger, Questlove, and Black Thought, among others.
In a statement, Jagger said he was “thrilled” to executive produce the project, saying: “He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement. I have always admired James and learned so much from him.”
Questlove and Black Thought added: “The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture.”
“Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honoured to have the chance to share it.”
In 2014, the late Chadwick Boseman played James Brown in the biopic ‘Get On Up’, which Jagger also produced. In the same year, Jagger worked on the HBO documentary ‘Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown’ as a producer. Brown’s estate was sold to publishing and management firm Primary Wave in December for an estimated $90 million (£68 million).
According to Rolling Stone, the agreement included the estate’s name and likeness rights, as well as all of Brown’s publishing and master income stream. Brown’s family reached an agreement last year after a 15-year legal battle over the late singer’s estate was finally resolved. He left virtually little to his heirs in his will, except for a $2 million (£1.46 million) scholarship fund for his grandchildren, which he specified in 2000. In South Carolina and Georgia, the majority of his assets were bequeathed to establish scholarships for poor students.
Primary Wave has previously worked with musicians such as Stevie Nicks and the Whitney Houston and Prince estates. Primary Wave and other similar companies have assumed the lead in the song acquisition industry, as legacy musicians increasingly want to sell song rights as part of their estate plans.
—Silviya.Y