James Brown Docuseries From Mick Jagger & Questlove For A&E

Mick Jagger and Questlove are exec producing a four-part docuseries about “I Got You (I Feel Good)” star James Brown for A&E.

The cable network has ordered James Brown: Say It Loud (w/t), directed by The Legacy of Black Wall Street helmer Deborah Riley Draper.

It is the latest doc on the Godfather of Soul after Alex Gibney directed Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown for HBO in 2014. Jagger was a producer on that project.

James Brown: Say It Loud is set for a 2023 release, marking what would have been Brown’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.

It will trace his life from a seventh-grade dropout arrested for armed robbery in the Jim Crow-era South to an entertainment legend.

It is produced by Inaudible Films, which produced Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown and is working on docs about Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Lee Lewis, in association with Polygram Entertainment.

Draper directs, Peter Afterman serves as executive producer for Inaudible Films along with producer Sarah Haber, Jagger and Victoria Pearman exec produce for Jagged Films, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson — who directed Oscar-nominated doc Summer of Soul — Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Shawn Gee and Zarah Zohlman exec produce for Two One Five Entertainment and David Blackman exec produces for Polygram Entertainment.

Charlie Cohen and A&E Network’s Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson also exec produce, while Madeline Post and Robert Komadina co-exec produce.

“I am thrilled to be producing the four-part documentary series with A&E delving into the fascinating life of James Brown,” said Jagger. “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.”

Said Thompson and 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. 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.”

Added Elaine Frontain Bryant, EVP and Head of Programming for A&E: “A&E has a long legacy as a home for bold, insightful, and engaging storytelling that pushes boundaries and bring viewers deeper into the lives and worlds they thought they knew. We are honored… to continue this tradition with James Brown: Say It Loud to provide audiences with an in-depth look, not only into the extraordinary life of the Godfather of Soul, but also his immeasurable influence as a cultural force in American society.”