Foresight Unlimited has come aboard to produce, finance, and handle worldwide sales on the biopic Spinning Gold, written by Timothy Scott Bogart. Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Justin Timberlake (The Social Network, Inside Llweyn Davis) will take on the lead role of the famous 1970’s record icon Neil Bogart.
Bogart, a legendary music business entrepreneur, is credited with discovering, launching and nurturing the careers of a generation of music superstars during the 60’s and 70’s including Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, Gladys Knight, KISS, Parliament, Donna Summer and The Village People among many others. Featuring some of the most iconic music of the era, Spinning Gold tells the rags-to-riches story of a poor kid from Brooklyn who went on to become the man who defined the pop music culture of his time. Neil Bogart died prematurely in 1982 at age 39.
Foresight’s CEO Mark Damon will produce the film alongside Timberlake, Academy Award nominated Laurence Mark (Dreamgirls, Jerry Maguire) and Boardwalk Entertainment’s Timothy Scott Bogart and Gary A. Randall. Joyce Bogart-Trabulus is executive producing along with Foresight’s President, Tamara Birkemoe and Envision Entertainment’s Remington Chase, Stepan Martirosyan and Vitaly Grigoriants.
“We are thrilled to partner on this iconic music tale that transcends popular culture,” said Tom Corson, President & COO of RCA Records. “Our passion for this project will serve to help propel ‘Spinning Gold’ to reach millions of music lovers around the world.”
Spinning Gold is written by Bogart’s son, Timothy Scott Bogart, who developed the script with Timberlake. With further casting currently underway, Damon and Birkemoe will introduce the highly anticipated film to overseas buyers at the upcoming Cannes Film Market. Timberlake will be attending Cannes to promote the film to international buyers and will co-host a private event on the Croisette for distributors with his fellow producers.
“’Spinning Gold’ is about a larger than life man who achieved so much in his short life and helped define a generation,” said Damon. “And with some of the music industry’s luminary artists lining up to join Justin in telling Neil’s incredible life story, the film is going to be a wild, music extravaganza that will light up the screen. And I also have a personal interest in bringing Neil’s story to the screen, as I started my career working with Neil at Casablanca Records And Filmworks,” he continued.
“For over thirty years my father’s story has been the source of intense fascination,” said Timothy Scott Bogart. “The wait to finally tell the story had always been about partnering with the right person to play him – and that wait ended the first time Justin and I ever met. Justin Timberlake is the greatest entertainer of his generation – having him play my father, who was the ultimate entertainer of his generation, just seems like it was always meant to be.”
“Neil Bogart was a fascinating individual whose vision, drive and passion brought us some of the most influential music of our time,” says Timberlake. “I am proud to be part of this project to bring this incredible life story to the screen.”
The film is set to start shooting early next year. RCA Records will also partner on the project and will release the movie’s soundtrack.
With a soundtrack including generation-defining music of the 60’s and 70’s that will be re-imagined by some of today’s most influential artists, Spinning Gold is planned to not only be a global movie event, but a major music event as well.
