The life of legendary music mogul Neil Bogart is the subject of the upcoming biopic Spinning Gold, starring Jeremy Jordan and Wiz Khalifa.
If you've never heard of Neil Bogart, you'll know the artists he produced. During the 1970s, he was a mainstay of pop music, discovering and producing acts including Donna Summer, Kiss, Parliament, and many more; his knack for discovering and nurturing new talent was extraordinary. Bogart went on to found Casablanca Records, one of the most successful independent record labels of the period, specializing in disco and funk. You'll be able to learn more about his story in the upcoming film Spinning Gold.
Bogart's story is being immortalized in a biopic, like many other musicians in recent years. Here's what we know about the movie so far.
Bogart began his career in the 1960s as a singer, but soon turned to the business side of the music industry, working as an executive before founding his own company in 1973. Late that year, Bogart signed his first act, an unheralded and newly-formed rock band called Kiss. Bogart saw their potential, but their first three albums barely charted, and he racked up debts in the process. At length, the producer realized the band would do far better if they simply recorded a performance from one of their frenetic, spectacular stage shows. One live album later, Kiss was in the Top Ten and Bogart was the flavor of the month.
Bogart didn't stop at hard rock. As disco began to take over the charts, Bogart signed some of the hottest new talent, including Donna Summer (whose now legendary hit single "I Feel Love" was released on the Casablanca label), Village People, and Lipps Inc. As both disco and punk came and went and the 1980s began, Bogart began dabbling in new wave music, but his untimely death at the age of 39 in 1982 robbed the industry of one of its most important innovators.
Spinning Gold's cast is a mixture of established Hollywood actors and pop artists. Heading the ensemble is Jeremy Jordan as Neil Bogart. Jordan's bona fides are mostly in Broadway theater and in television, for which he is best known as Winn Schott in the first three series of Supergirl, and for his voice work as Varian in Disney's Tangled: The Series. His film roles have been largely restricted to musicals, such as 2012's Joyful Noise (in which he appeared opposite Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton), and The Last Five Years (2014). In 2019, he played a rookie police officer alongside Kerry Washington and Rescue Me's Steven Pasquale in American Son.
Wiz Khalifa also stars as Parliament frontman George Clinton. Primarily known for his glittering career in rap, Khalifa turned to acting in the early 2010s, with occasional appearances in stoner comedies such as Mac & Devin Go To High School. After a lengthy hiatus, Khalifa returned to acting in the last few years, with well-received performances as Death in the comedy-drama Dickinson, and voice work on shows such as American Dad!, Duncanville, and Disney's new comedy Big City Greens.
Bogart also produced the Isley Brothers, and Jason Derulo appears as the group's founder, Ron Isley. Derulo's massive success as a pop artist is a matter of record, but his acting career is in its early stages, his screen appearances having been restricted to supporting work on TV shows such as State of Georgia, Empire, and Lethal Weapon, and an appearance as Rum Tum Tugger in Tom Hooper's infamous adaptation of the musical Cats (2019). Spinning Gold will be his debut appearance in a dramatic film.
Finally, Jason Isaacs stars as Bogart's father, Al. After stepping down from his award-winning turn as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, Isaacs has been in constant demand. His 2022 has been a busy one, with starring roles in the World War II spy film Operation Mincemeat, a supporting role opposite Lesley Manville in Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris, and, earlier in the year, the lead in the CBS medical drama Good Sam.
Other prominent cast members include Emmy Award winner Chris Redd (Joker, Kenan); James Wolk (Mad Men, Watchmen); Sebastian Maniscalco (Green Book, The Irishman) as the famed Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder; and R&B artist Ledisi, whose stock as an actor rose significantly this year after her winning role as Mahalia Jackson in Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story, as Gladys Knight.
To say that Spinning Gold has had a difficult development would be a colossal understatement. The film has taken over a decade to make it to the big screen, having been first announced by Timothy Scott Bogart, Neil Bogart's son, back in 2011 (at which time Justin Timberlake was said to be attached). The film will be Bogart's first since the release of Touched in 2005.
Spinning Gold will be released in theaters in the United States on March 31, 2023, as announced by Deadline.
Spinning Gold: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We … – MovieWeb
