There are many record labels that have storied histories. Motown, Atlantic Records and Def Jam are just among the small few. But there's one label that had the charts in a chokehold in the 1970s: Casablanca Records. The label, founded in the 1970s by Buddah Records executive Neil Bogart, was home to some of the leading acts in rock, funk and disco. Now Bogart and the label he built will be getting the biopic treatment in the upcoming feature film Spinning Gold.
The film, which has been in the works for quite some time, will tell the story of Bogart and how the label began. Based on the trailer, we'll get into the ins and outs that the record executive went through while bringing the label, one of the most successful independent labels of all time, to the forefront of the music industry before his untimely death from cancer and lymphoma in 1982.
For someone who worked with so many influential artists — including Gladys Knight, Bill Withers, The Isley Brothers and more during his Buddah Records days and Casablanca signees Parliament, KISS and the quintessential disco diva Donna Summer — it's inevitable that these big names will be part of his story. The filmmakers have matched that star power with some of the biggest artists of today.
Singer Ledisi will play the iconic Knight in the film and she'll be joined by a who's who of stars playing stars — including Pink $weats as Withers, Wiz Khalifa as George Clinton, Jason Derulo as Ron Isley and singer-songwriter Tayla Parx making her motion picture debut as Summer. In addition to the musical talent, the cast will also feature comedians Jay Pharoah and Chris Redd as well as Broadway and television star Jeremy Jordan in the lead role as Bogart.
With so much star power, it wouldn't surprise us if this flick ended up being one of the biggest pictures of the new year. Check out the trailer for Spinning Gold and the film's poster below. Look for the movie to hit theaters on March 31st, 2023.
