Don Cheadle is determined to bring his long-gestating Miles Davis biopic to the big screen at any cost. After putting in a chunk of his own money towards the budget, the Oscar-winning actor is reaching out to fans to do the same via his newly-launched Indiegogo campaign.
“We are eager to get the word out about our film and to build a community of people who are just as excited as we are about a Miles Davis movie,” Cheadle said in a statement. “While Miles used his horn to communicate and create 'social music' we are using social media and today’s online platforms to reach out to the music community, the film community and all people who are excited to see an explosive, cool, music-filled movie."

The project, called Miles Ahead, is seeking to raise $325,000 on Indiegogo by July 6 to support the principal photography for the feature length film when it goes into production later this summer. Among the pledge prizes are rare Miles Davis posters, limited edition Miles Davis artwork, a coffee table book of Miles’s artwork signed by Don Cheadle, as well as set visits and access to screenings.

Davis's nephew Vince Wilburn spoke on behalf of the late musician's family, saying they are “extremely excited to have Don Cheadle play Sir Miles Dewey Davis in the forthcoming movie.”
On the other end of the filmmaking spectrum, Will Smith has signed on to star in the very well-funded Game Brain for Sony Pictures. The project, based on a GQ article of the same title, follows the forensic neuropathologist who single-handedly made the first discovery of CTE, a degenerative brain disease resulting from concussions found in professional athletes, in the NFL. The story is described as a whistle-blower tale about the price paid by professional athletes in impact sports.
Smith last starred in the box office bomb After Earth, co-starring his son Jaden Smith, and made a cameo appearance in Anchorman: The Legend Continues.
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(Photos: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)