Colman Domingo set to direct and star in Nat King Cole biopic
Colman Domingo will star as Nat King Cole in an upcoming movie musical biopic from a script he co-wrote. The film is also set to be his feature-directing debut.
Domingo, who was recently nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at the Oscars 2024 for his performance as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the Netflix movie Rustin, said: “I’ve been working on it quietly for a few years,” during an appearance on the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast.
It’s not yet known which period of the singer’s life the film will focus on, and Domingo only shared: “It’s something I’m looking forward to putting together with some great partners.”
The upcoming biopic won’t be Domingo’s first time writing about the ‘Let There Be Love’ singer.
He co-wrote the Lights Out: Nat ‘King’ Cole play with Patricia McGregor, focusing solely on what the legendary artist might have felt during his 1957 Christmas special, which was notably the first network programme hosted by an African American.
Cole, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, remains one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. Domingo is also involved in a biopic that charts a star of similar calibre, Michael Jackson.
Domingo was cast as the Jackson patriarch, Joe Jackson, in the upcoming Antoine Fuqua-directed film. Aside from the two biopics, Domingo will appear in Greg Kewdar’s Sing Sing, which he also produced, and Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls.
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