Samuel L. Jackson will play George Clinton in a film about late Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart according to Deadline. Casablanca Records was one of the most successful record labels of the 1970s and it is mostly associated with disco even though there was more than disco artists on the label. Timothy Scott Bogart will direct Spinning Gold about his father’s success in the music industry releasing music from some of the biggest names at the time including Donna Summer, KISS, Cher, Village People, Lipps Inc. and Clinton’s Parliament. Neil Bogart would also start subsidiary labels Chocolate City and Parachute Records that hosted funk band Cameo, Brenda & The Tabulations and R&B singer Randy Brown.Â
Production is scheduled to start July 16th in Montreal and a number of roles have already been cast. Kenan Thompson will be Berry Gordy, Jasmine Sullivan will play Gladys Knight, Jason Derulo is Ron Isley, Jay Pharoah will be WBLS DJ Frankie Crocker, D.L. Hughley will play Bootsy Collins and Broadway actor Jeremy Jordan will play Bogart. There are plans for a young singer to take on the role of Donna Summer.Â
The soundtrack will have songs from The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield, Donna Summer, Edwin Hawkins, Village People, Parliament, Gladys Knight, KISS and Bill Withers and more.Â
Timothy Scott Bogart’s Boardwalk Entertainment and Jessica Martin’s Hero Entertainment are financing Spinning Gold and will shop it to the studios.Â
Casablanca Records was purchased by Polygram in 1980 and later by Seagrams. It was shut down in the ’80s and relaunched in 2000. The current Casablanca operates under Republic Records as a dance and electronic music label. Neil Bogart died in 1982 of cancer at the age of 39.Â
