Casting Call for James Brown Biopic
Atlanta-based production casting for lead, supporting, featured, and extra roles in emerging biopic on Godfather of Soul James Brown, based on first and second-hand accounts of musicians and music industry executives who worked with him.

Principal photography to date includes locations in metropolitan areas of Atlanta; Cincinnati; Augusta, Georgia; Aiken, S.C.; New York City; Boston; Chicago; and Philadelphia.

For lead, supporting, and featured roles, producers prefer talent who can bring the lead character and others who figured prominently in his career to life and not merely impersonate them.

The following roles are among those the producers are most concerned with casting:

PRE-TEEN, TEEN-AGE, and ADULT JAMES BROWN
JAMES BROWN’S MANAGER
DOUBLE-DUTCH ROPE GIRLS
JAMES BROWN’S LIMOUSINE DRIVER
SUSAN BEHLING - Brown’s mother
SUSAN BEHLING’S BOYFRIEND
JAMES JOSEPH BROWN SR. - Brown’s father
HONEY WASHINGTON - Brown’s paternal great aunt
DANCING BLACK GIs - performing proto-B-boy freestyle dance moves to jump blues a la Louis Jordan
LOUIS JORDAN - jump blues king and rock ‘n roll pioneer
LITTLE RICHARD - rock ‘n roll music pioneer
LITTLE RICHARD’S MANAGER - who assists Brown in his lean years
LEON AUSTIN - Brown’s childhood friend and gospel/rock ‘n roll music impresario
JOHNNY TERRY and BOBBY BYRD - co-members with Brown in his first break-through rock ‘n roll group the Famous Flames
SYD NATHAN - founder and head of Brown’s first music label, King Records
RALPH BASS - head of King Records “race” subsidiary Federal Records, who was A&R for King and who discovered the Famous Flames
TAMMI TERRELL - tragically legendary soul music vocalist and Brown’s protege/girlfriend
GENE CHANDLER - rock n’ roll legend who was Terrell’s close friend and fellow featured act on Brown’s revue shows
MARVA WHITNEY - legendary funk/soul vocalist who was featured act on Brown’s revue shows and his girlfriend
GLORIA TAYLOR - soul music pioneer
WIZARD HUNT - her manager and one of Brown’s music executive protégés at King Records
CLAY TYSON - legendary standup comedian who wa featured act on Brown’s revue shows
BOOTSY COLLINS - bass guitarist for Brown’s band
CATFISH COLLINS - lead guitarist for Brown’s band
CHICKEN GUNNELLS - trumpet player for Brown’s band
LYNDON B. JOHNSON - president of the United States of America
HUBERT HUMPHREY - vice president of the United States of America under Johnson administration
THANOM KITTIKAHORN - Thai prime minister feted at 1968 White House state dinner
RICHARD NIXON - president of the United States after LBJ
LADY BIRD JOHNSON - first lady under Johnson administration
THE REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. - legendary civil rights activist
RICHARD J. DALEY - mayor of Chicago turning tumultuous year of 1968
ABRAHAM RIBICOFF - U.S. senator from Connecticut who delivered nominating speech for George McGovern at 1968 Democratic National Convention
APOLLO THEATER WARDROBE WOMAN
JELLY ROLL - popular DJ at black Cincinnati radio station WCIN-AM
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA POLICE CAPTAIN
LEAD SECRET SERVICE MAN - delivering messages between Brown and Humphrey at May 1968 White House dinner for Thai prime minister
FRENCH ADMIRERS AND GROUPIES - for Brown’s 1970 Paris appearance
VIETNAM WAR PROTESTERS
YIPPIE ACTIVISTS - organizing, stunting, and protesting in the streets of Chicago during 1968 Democratic National Convention
BLACK VIETNAM WAR GIs - being entertained overseas in Asian and Europe by Brown in 1968 and 1969
KING RECORDING STUDIO ENGINEER
KING SESSION BAND
JAMES BROWN’S BACKUP SINGERS
JAMES BROWN’S LEAR JET PILOT
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AUDITOR
JAMES BROWN’S ACUPUNCTURIST
DON CORNELIUS - producer and host of “Soul Train”
SOUL TRAIN DANCERS
MALCOLM X - legendary Muslim civil rights activist
STOKELY CARMICHAEL - legendary black power/civil rights activist
Send talent resume and headshot via email to MARKARMYSTRONG62@aol.com with “JAMES BROWN MOVIE CASTING APP” in the subject field (applications lacking resume, headshot, and that subject title will not be considered).

Casting staff will contact cream of the crop for interviews and invitations to open and closed auditions.