Mos Def has decided that he wants no part of a new
Thelonious Monk biopic after learning the estate of the late jazz artist disapproves of the project.
As reported by Ace Showbiz, Bey was attached to the film when producer
Peter Lord Moreland announced on Wednesday that production will begin next summer. Bey was tapped to portray the iconic jazz pianist in the film simply titled,
Thelonious. The story will center on Monk’s artistry, struggles with mental illness, and a “spiritual love triangle between his wife Nellie and one of the world’s richest women Nica Rothschild.”
“Thelonious Sphere Monk. A leader. A Lord. A shape in space. A man from a community of devotion who lives a simple life distant from society,” Bey said in a statement.
Wakanda Forever hits theaters July 8, 2022.
In other news,
Mos Def, has been tapped to play jazz piano legend
Thelonious Monk in the upcoming biopic
Thelonious. According to
Variety, the film will “will center around [Monk’s] struggles for musical success, mental illness and the spiritual love triangle between his wife Nellie and one of the world’s richest women, Nica Rothschild.”
Thelonious is slated to begin production in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile,
Jordan Peele has revealed a July 22, 2022 release date for his forthcoming film,
Nope. Peele shared the news on Instagram, posting the film’s poster, which shows a cloud at night with a kite flag tail attached over a mountainside backdrop. The poster also reveals that
Jazz legend
Yasiin Bey (formerly known as
Mos Def). The musician and actor will portray Monk in an upcoming biopic from production company
Peter Lord Moreland and
Seeing the World Differently
Lord Moreland first became fascinated with Thelonious Monk when he watched
Straight No Chaser, the 1988 documentary about the bebop pianist and composer. He researched the musician and started on a working script to document the life of one of jazz’s most recorded musicians.
“My entire life, I have been an artist, a person, and a thinker who seems to have an alternative view of creating, hearing, and seeing the world,” he told Rolling Stone. “There’s no greater personification of that than Thelonious.”
Thelonious, which is slated to start up production in the summer of 2022.
Jupiter Rising Film co-founders Alberto Marzan and Peter Lord Moreland announced Wednesday that Bey has signed on to play the lead role. According to a press release, the film “will center around [Monk’s] struggles for musical success, mental illness and the spiritual love triangle between his wife Nellie and one of the world’s richest women, Nica Rothschild.”
Speaking to
Rolling Stone about the film, Moreland explained his thought process behind casting Bey: “Yasiin lives his life with a vibe not easily found in Hollywood, because he’s not Hollywood, point blank. His values and moral compass are intentional and focused on what really matters. Everyone who knows his body of work has seen him boldly transform himself from his music to the Broadway stage, the silver screen and beyond. When he looked at me and said, ‘I am Thelonious,’ I knew we had found him.”