Marvin Gaye’s son, Marvin III, is never one to shy away from a chance to speak out about any topic pertaining to his iconic Pops. For years, we’ve witnessed him do that- whether it’s about slamming Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, or “Empire” producer/director, Lee Daniels– he goes all out to get his point across to the masses. That is exactly what the brotha has just done, regarding the latest reports that Dr. Dre will be executive producing a biopic film about Marvin Gaye. The son of the legend had quite a few things to say about this though…
Dr. Dre’s Team Gave Wrong Info?
In case y’all haven’t heard yet, a few days ago, may reports surfaced, that Dr. Dre and Sony ATV were about to get to work on a Gaye biopic. After the success of Dr. Dre’s “Straight Outta Compton,” biopic in 2015, he apparently caught the biopic bug again. Here’s what was reported:
Via Rolling Stone– Reps for Dre and Sony/ATV confirmed the deal to Rolling Stone, though the film remains in the very early stages of development. Sources tell Rolling Stone that, among other conditions, the project would need the approval of Motown founder Berry Gordy to move forward. A representative for Gordy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the news of his Pops spread like wild fire across the internet, Marvin III is ready to set the record straight. In other words, he’s sending a public message to Dr. Dre and Sony ATV, to let them know to slow their role with their reportedly alternative facts in the press. According To Gaye’s son, ain’t no parts of a contract been inked in writing with him and therefore, the world will see no parts of a Dr. Dre produced biopic until he decides to put his stamp on it. In a new statement Gaye III issued to The Blast, he made that very clear:
Marvin Gaye III tells The Blast, “In regards to the announcement that was made in the media on June 18 as it pertains to a biopic about my father, the legendary iconic singer Marvin Gaye, that is being produced by Dr. Dre, I want to say that it was prematurely announced, therefore I denounce these statements.”
Gaye III then showed love to Dr. Dre for his work, but also made it clear that simply having a superstar name does not impress him…the ability to efficiently bring his father’s life to the big screen, does:
“I love and highly respect Dr. Dre, and we are currently in talks about his participation in the film. However, the movie rights have not been granted nor secured at this time from me as an heir. My hope is to have a group of capable and experienced film producers to be involved with the making of a wonderful masterpiece of my dad’s life. … I’m looking for nothing less than excellence in creating a compelling story of Marvin Gaye’s multi-faceted life. We are progressing steadily toward this very goal, and therefore don’t want any premature or false information out there,” [says Gaye III].
Prior to now, several stars have attempted to get Marvin III and family to grant them the rights for a biopic, including Jamie Foxx, who seems to have previously had the most success thus far. According to Rolling Stone, in 2016 the Gaye family ‘granted Jamie Foxx the rights to develop a limited series about the singer, but the project has not yet moved forward.’
For the record, it’s also been reported that Dr. Dre and Sony ATV have a good shot at securing the deal, but until then, Marvin III just wants them to put a muzzle on the alternative facts. Or else, they’ll probably be hearing through the grapevine that their potential deal is a done dada.
