Let Your Soul Glow: Script for Sam Cooke Biopic is Complete

By  · Published on March 15th, 2011

This might be the best news all day. Sam Cooke is such a luminary of the music world, an inspiration for countless artists, and the gravitational pull for all things soul. The roads all lead back to Cooke, and he might be getting a biopic after all.

And it’ll be by the screenwriters of The Commitments no less. According to Reuters, Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have turned in the script to the company that owns most of his recordings, ABKCO, and the company will be looking for a director with it in hand.

The writing pair has done work all across the dramatic spectrum, but they’re no strangers to music. Across the Universe may have ended up being clunky, but there are few movies as sweetly heartfelt (and rockin’) as The Commitments. It’s a good match, and I have my fingers crossed tightly that they can get a talented director on board.

The story will span his entire life, but will focus on his time as a musician, civil rights advocate, and a label owner as he became an icon of R&B and soul music.

The great news here is that ABKCO will be financing it themselves, and they have clearance through the Cooke estate. Essentially, they can sit on this until they get the right personnel, and they never have to worry about the project being axed. Neither do we. So be on the lookout for more news on this one.

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