Script for Sam Cooke biopic done, production moving forward

Music Movie about 13 years agoby

Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (writers of Across the Universe) have just finished their script for the upcoming Sam Cooke biopic. The film is base on Peter Guralnick's "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke," the definitive biography of Sam Cooke. The film is in production at ABKCO, which owns Cooke's publishing and the bulk of his master recordings.

ABKCO CEO Jody Klein is currently looking for a director. Here is what she had to say in a recent interview with Billboard:

"We had been looking for a long time for a writer to develop Peter's book and it clicked when we met them. They understood the artist, they understood the times. It's one of those things, like when you meet the love of your life and you know you have met your (future) wife. They have written a fantastic script."

According to Klein, the script focuses on Cooke's entire life (1931 to 1964). It goes from "his childhood through his years as a gospel singer, a pop star, civil rights activist and eventually a label owner and music publisher. His music ushered the transition of R&B into soul music."

Cooke's music appealed to both black and white audiences for generations. He is most famous for songs such as "You Send Me," "Twistin' the Night Away" and "Only Sixteen." The last song he wrote and recorded was "A Change Is Gonna Come," which is considered by many as the most influential piece of music to emerge from the civil rights movement. Shortly after finishing the song, Cooke was shot and killed.

Klein says she plans to self-finance the film through ABKCO. She goes on to say:

"All of the elements have aligned themselves," Klein says, noting the usual roadblocks in biopics -- music and life rights -- are already in hand . "We have secured rights from the Cooke family. One of the benefits of being a private company is that it enables us the appropriate amount of time to develop the script and make this happen. It will not get lost."

This film sounds great, there is a lot of potential. What are your thougths on this news?