While we await the arrival of Forest Whitaker’s Louis Armstrong biopic, What A Wonderful Life, which covers the jazz icon’s whole life “from a myth point of view,” Hyatt Hotels heir/filmmaker Dan Pritzker has invested millions of his own dollars into two upcoming Armstrong-related passion projects. As Deadline reports (via the Playlist), the first is a feature-length silent film, dubbed simply Louis, which stars previously unknown actor Anthony Coleman as a young Armstrong discovering the cornet (his first instrument) and Jackie Earle Haley as a corrupt judge Both actors also star alongside Anthony Mackie in Pritzker’s follow-up film, Bolden!, about legendary jazz forefather Buddy Bolden, whose music was possibly never recorded.
Louis is set to debut next month during a tour of concert halls where Wynton Marsalis will lead a 10-piece jazz band performing a live rendition of the film’s soundtrack. (Lots of live silent film scores of late, no?) For more details, including quotes from Pritzker on these intriguing films, go here. Also, the official Louis teaser trailer is below: