Lenny Kravitz to play Marvin Gaye in Julian Temple's untitled biopic

Now here's a project worth getting really excited about. A biopic on R&B crooner Marvin Gaye has been in the works for years, with F. Gary Gray and Cameron Crowe both circling films at different times. James Gandolfini was also set to produce and co-star with Law & Order's Jesse L. Martin in a film titled Sexual Healing. None of those ever came together, but now a different one has taken a major step forward and seems to be on the fast track.

Deadline reports that Grammy-winner Lenny Kravitz will make his leading man debut as Marvin Gaye in an upcoming film from director Julian Temple, who previously helmed the rock musical Absolute Beginners. The film will focus on the 1980s and deal with Gaye's time spent in Europe trying to get control of his drug addictions and get his career back on track. There he would meet Brit promoter Freddy Cousaert, who helped shepherd him back into the industry's good graces with his career-defining album, Midnight Love. Shortly thereafter Gay would be shot and killed by his own father after a dispute.

Filming is slated to begin next year, and the musical rights have all been sewn up so those are two reasons to feel confident this one will actually get off the ground.

Kravitz earned solid reviews for his supporting bid in Precious, and has used that to help build a solid acting career. He'll reprise his role as Cinna in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and also has a part in Lee Daniels' The Butler. But obviously this is was one of the most sought after roles in all of Hollywood, and knocking this out of the park could establish Kravitz for the long haul.