It’s been quite the week for Colman Domingo. Right off the back of his well-deserved Oscar nomination for his role as the civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in George C. Wolfe’s Rustin and today’s announcement that he would be playing the role of Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the legendary Jackson family, as well as the notoriously cruel and brutal manager and father of Michael Jackson, Domingo will be taking on another real-life role in the form of the iconic Nat King Cole. As exclusively revealed by Variety, Domingo is set to direct and star in a movie musical, based on the life of the performer, on which he is also the co-writer.
Domingo has been involved in a project about Cole previously; he was a co-writer on the play “Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole” with Patricia McGregor. The production is not just a straightforward biography or a musical by-the-numbers production but rather, it blends elements of drama and music to offer a deeper exploration of Cole‘s experiences, particularly focusing on the racial challenges he faced.
It remains to be seen whether this is what Domingo intends to adapt for the screen, or if it will be a different idea. Domingo did not offer further details on the story when speaking to the outlet.
“I’ve been working on it quietly for a few years. It’s something I’m looking forward to putting together with some great partners.”
Domingo is busy scheduling his commitments for 2024. He was the executive producer for the horror film It’s What’s Inside, which debuted at Sundance and was acquired by Netflix for $17 million. Additionally, he’ll next be seen in films like Drive-Away Dolls by Ethan Coen and Greg Kewdar’s Sing Sing, the latter of which he also produced.
Has Colman Domingo Directed Before?
Speaking with Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff in November, Domingo revealed his plans to make his own film around an at-the-time unnamed musical legend and “American icon” when asked if he felt his aim to direct a movie was getting closer following the success of Rustin, and having also helmed episodes of Fear the Walking Dead. He also revealed he’d be leaning on others he’d worked with in the past.
“I can’t say it just yet, but I’m going to make my directorial debut for a feature film, playing an American icon,” he said. “I co-wrote the script, and it’s a movie musical. I don’t know if I’m gonna lose my mind or what because I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m going from my first leading role in a feature film to now slash, slash, slash, slash doing everything in the world.'”
“So I might have to get some pointers and tips from Bradley Cooper and people like that to say, ‘Am I crazy?’ But I actually feel like I’m up for the task because I know that I see it visually, I understand it dramaturgically, and I feel like it’s like a painting. I want to do the whole painting, and I can be in it at the same time.”
Stay tuned to Collider for updates on Domingo‘s Nat ‘King’ Cole project. In the meantime, check out Domingo‘s Academy Award-worthy turn in Rustin, on Netflix now.
via Collider