Posted by | Ray Cornelius
Grammy winning singer-songwriter Lionel Richie is teaming up with the Sammie Davis Jr. estate for a biopic about the life and times of the late Las Vegas singer. According to S&A, the film will be based on Davis’ 1965 memoir, “Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr.” and will be produced by the “All Night Long” singer as well as Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mike Menchel.
“It’s an honor for me to bring the life of one of my idols and friends to the screen. I’m so grateful to be working closely with the Davis family on this and couldn’t be happier to be moving forward on this passion project,” said Richie in a statement.”
This new project is not to be confused with another film project about Davis’ life that we announced in 2015. That was being spearheaded by Byron Allen‘s entertainment studio.
Davis was an entertainment legend whose career spanned over 60 years. He was a singer, an accomplished dancer, actor and civil right activist. He was also part of the original “Rat Pack” which also included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Davis died in 1990 at age 64 from throat cancer.
RC will keep you posted as this story continues to develop!
Photo Credit: Parade.com