Marvin Gaye Biopic ‘Sexual Healing’ Gets A Teaser Trailer [Video]

After many delays and much controversy, the Marvin Gaye biopic Sexual Healing has finally gotten a teaser trailer.

Directed by Julien Temple and starring Jesse L. Martin, Sexual Healingfocuses on the time Gaye spent in Europe in the early 1980s as he battled with addiction and tried to get his career back on track with the help of his manager, Freddy Cousaert (Brendan Gleason). The film also stars S. Epatha Merkerson as Gaye’s mother, Alberta, and Dwight Henry as Marvin Gaye Sr.

According to IndieWire, the biopic is expected to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s death on April 1, 2014.

Martin was previously attached to play Gaye in a James Gandolfini-produced biopic five years. Gandolfini was set to star as Cousaert in the $15 million production, which would be written and directed by Lauren Goodman. That version never got off the ground and Temple took over in 2011.

After Temple came in, Lenny Kravitz was tapped to play Marvin Gaye. The singer’s son, Marvin Gaye III, asked his childhood friend not to play his father. Gaye said, “The producers and directors of this film are very wrong and shameful. [They’re] trying to do a film about a low period in his life. They don’t even know the whole story.” Gaye threatened to take legal action to halt production of the film, but said he hoped he wouldn’t have to.

Marvin Gaye Jr. was shot and killed by his father, Marvin Gaye Sr. on April 1, 1984. Gaye and his parents argued about misplaced business documents the day before, and the argument started again that day. Marvin Gaye Sr. went into his son’s room around 11:38 am and shot him twice, once in the chest and again at point-blank range in the shoulder. The pistol he used was the same one Marvin Gaye Jr. had given to him during the holidays for protection.