Variety is reporting that Dr. Dre is close to finalising a deal to develop an authorised biopic of legendary Motown artist Marvin Gaye, with the hip-hop star said to be in the early stages of getting the project off the ground.
Gaye, whose hits include the likes of ‘What’s Going On’, ‘Sexual Healing’, ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ and ‘Let’s Get It On’, was one of Motown’s most successful artists prior to his death in 1984, where he was shot and killed by his father during a domestic dispute.
As the site states, there have been numerous attempts to produce a biopic of Gaye over the years, with the likes of F. Gary Gray, Cameron Crowe, James Gandolfini, Scott Rudin, Jesse L. Martin,Lenny Kravitz and Jamie Foxx all trying their hand at one point or another.
Dre – whose producing credits include the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton and TV drama Vital Signs – is said to have secured the blessing of Gaye’s family, as well as securing the rights to his music.