Jagger's production partner on the project, Brian Grazer, recently told Rolling Stone he's had the rights to the project for 12 years.

Grazer's previous production credits include Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. "I like to make movies about mastery and genius," he said, "and it's hard to find great subjects. James Brown is a visually dynamic subject."

Grazer went on to say no decision has been made regarding who will play Brown. "We're going to have to test lots of actors and be determined to pick the right one," he explained.