After several attempts by many to bring his life to the big screen, Oscar winner Jamie Foxx will executive produce a limited series about Marvin Gaye alongside de Passe Jones Entertainment’s Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones, who will shop it to linear and digital outlets, states The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’ve been a huge fan my whole life. His brilliance in music unparalleled,” says Foxx. “Marvin Gaye’s story has always fascinated me.”
Gaye was a singer, songwriter and record producer with hits such as “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, “What’s Going On,” “Sexual Healing” and “Let’s Get It On.” As one of Motown’s most successful artists, he was fatally shot in 1984 at age 44 by his father following a family dispute in their Los Angeles home.

“This project will be a powerful and definitive telling of Marvin Gaye’s life story,” says the singer’s son Marvin Gaye III, an executive producer on the new project, which also has the blessing of Motown founder Berry Gordy, who has served as a mentor to de Passe ever since he hired her as a creative assistant to his legendary label decades ago. “Marvin was the truest artist I have ever known,” Gordy said. “I am confident that this is the right team to bring his story to the audience in an authentic and compelling way.”


“We’ve been involved in a number of attempts to get this done, and now that we’ve been able to marshal all the forces, and Jamie’s come on board as a partner, we’re excited to get going,”says de Passe, who has executive produced multiple Motown television specials. She and Jones are in talks with Sony/ATV, which controls Gaye’s music rights, to determine which specific songs will be used.
“This has been a labor of love for three decades,” says Jones. “It’s been brewing for a while.”