It was just reported that Lenny Kravitz will be stepping away from the starring role in the upcoming Marvin Gaye biopic, Sexual Healing. Deadline Hollywood reports that this is probably a result of Marvin Gaye’s son, Marvin Gaye III, threatening legal action against the film if Kravitz stayed on. Obviously, Kravitz is no Marvin Gaye musically, but this guy must really dislike Lenny.
Ex-Law and Order star Jesse L. Martin will be playing Gaye instead. The challenging role will feature Gaye in the early 1980′s shortly before his death. A time of intense struggle for the legendary singer, he was then attempting to get his addictions and finances under control. Sounds like it could be an incredibly depressing movie, hopefully they do it right.
Chances are a bit better for a decent movie turning out as filmmaker Julien Temple has signed on to direct. Temple is known for documenting the Sex Pistols over their career as well as directing the 1986 rock musical Absolute Beginners and the 2006 rockumentary Glastonbury. He clearly has a deep appreciation for music, which is a good sign when it comes to this sort of story that could easily become melodramatic or music-free.
John Stein
john.stein@tunigo.com