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Don Cheadle is to star as legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis in an upcoming biopic that he is also directing.

Kill The Trumpet Player will also feature Ewan McGregor as a Rolling Stone journalist and Zoe Saldana as Davis's wife, Frances. Former Davis collaborator Herbie Hancock is also involved in the film in a consultancy role.

The film is set around the time that Davis retired from music for five years, and his subsequent return in 1979. It seems to be a labour of love for Cheadle, who makes his directorial debut and co-wrote the script with Steven Baigelman.

Watch Miles Davis performing 'Summertime' with Quincy Jones below

Talking to The Wall Street Journal, Cheadle talked of the nature of the film, which he doesn't want to be seen a straight telling of the musicians life, stating: "It's a gangster pic. It's a movie Miles Davis would have wanted to star in".

There is a second project currently ongoing that will also focus on Davis' life, from director George Tillman Jr. Cheadle shrugged off potential concerns over the timing though, saying: "If the world is ready for two Miles Davis movies, fantastic. I don't think anyone's going to be making the kind of movie we're making".

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