A&E orders a James Brown docuseries produced by Mick Jagger and Questlove

Deadline

The four-part James Brown: Say It Loud, from The Legacy of Black Wall Street director Deborah Riley Draper, is set to be released in 2023 to celebrate the late Godfather of Soul's 90th birthday. It will explore Brown’s legacy with interviews with friends, family, collaborators and proteges as well as his beloved music catalog and includes never-been-seen-before archival footage. This will be the second James Brown documentary that Rolling Stones frontman Jagger has produced. He was also a producer on Alex Gibney's 2014 HBO documentary Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown. Questlove, who is Oscar-nominated for his acclaimed documentary Summer of Soul, is producing Say It Loud with fellow The Roots member Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter. “The life of James Brown is significant not only to understand his immense musical impact, which inspires us and other artists to this day, but also for the deep and lasting impression he has had on American culture,” said Questlove and Trotter in a statement. “Brown’s life is a crucial and timely story of struggle, redemption, and self-identity and we are honored to have the chance to share it.” In a statement, Jagger said: “I am thrilled to be producing the four-part documentary series with A&E delving into the fascinating life of James Brown. He was a brilliant performer who inspired me from the beginning and was deeply committed to the Civil Rights movement. I have always admired James and learned so much from him. I look forward to bringing the series to life.”