A year after filming started for “Miles Ahead,” Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis movie, no release date has been set for the film. The International Movie Database just says “2015” for the release date.
Cheadle began his directorial debut filming downtown on July 7, 2014, in front of the Cincinnati Bell building, 209 W. Seventh St., which was portraying CBS headquarters in New York City in 1979.
Cheadle, dressed as jazz icon Davis, and Ewan McGregor, as a long-haired “Rolling Stone” reporter, were going to talk to CBS executives about a recording stolen from the musician’s home. The script, co-written by Cheadle, was set in 1979 as Davis was ending his five-year self-imposed “silent period” out of the public eye.
As Davis, Cheadle drove a green Jaguar with “TRUMPET 1” license plates up to the front doors of the CBS building.
His director’s chair to monitor scenes was on the northwest corner of Elm & Seventh Streets, facing the spectators, TV cameras, reporters and an Enquirer photographer gathered on the east side of Elm Street.
Of all the people on the city sidewalk, behind the movie’s security guy, “Miles Ahead” producer Pamela Hirsch was only concerned about me and the Enquirer photographer. She asked us to go away for a couple of days, or not to shoot Cheadle in character (even though TV cameras were shooting the filming). She claimed Cheadle was just trying to get into the character. I told her we had a right to take pictures on a city street, behind the film’s security lines, just as anyone else.
Late that night we found out the real reason we were hassled: Entertainment Weekly’s website posted an exclusive photo of Cheadle as Davis, taken by WKRQ-FM’s Brian Douglas. So to protect the EW deal, she wanted us to leave. When we didn’t, the security guy on the corner was instructed to step in front of the Enquirer photographer every time she raised her camera to take a picture.
To see Brian Douglas’ “Miles Ahead” photos, go to the MilesAheadFilm Facebook page.
