Forest Whitaker thinks to himself...WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!
Forest Whitaker is to star and direct a biopic of celebrated American Jazz singer Louis Armstrong titled WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, named after the artist's most memorable song and the one he will forever be remembered by. Five reasons why WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD will win Oscars... 1. Forest Whitaker won an Oscar for playing Idi Amin in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND just two years ago. He was sensational too much earlier in his career playing Jazz singer Charlie "Bird" Parker in the Clint Eastwood biopic BIRD. 2. Screenwriter Ronald Bass won an Oscar for writing RAIN MAN and is one of the best biopic screenwriters, with the Amelia Earhart biopic upcoming, and an Albert Einstein movie in the works. 3. The movie is in production at the Paris based Legend films, who produced the Academy Award winning LA VIVE EN ROSE - itself a biopic of a famous musician. 4. Playing a famous musician wins Oscars, or at least Oscar noms for it's actors recently... RAY, WALK THE LINE, CONTROL, I'M NOT THERE, LA VIVE EN ROSE. 5. It is being exec-produced by a guy called OSCAR Cohen. He also just happens to the guy who went on the road with Armstrong in the 40's as his road manager and is currently the executive of the Armstrong estate and the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. The movie will begin during the impoverished years of Armstrong's life in New Orleans but will primarily focus on his successful career. Whitaker told Variety...
"Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture...he lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world."The movie begins shooting next Summer in Louisana. As a director, Whitaker has helmed the studio tripe FIRST DAUGHTER and HOPE FLOATS but has never had material as good as this to work.
Personally, even though it may not be as popular... I would have called the movie WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, after the fabulous and haunting song from the James Bond movie ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. I just think as a title (and I do prefer that song) it works better for a biopic.