Colman Domingo's Nat King Cole Biopic 'Unforgettable' Heads to Market with Powerhouse Team
Two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo is stepping behind the camera for his feature directorial debut with Unforgettable, a musical biopic chronicling the life of legendary singer Nat King Cole. The project, which Domingo will also star in and co-wrote, has secured Lionsgate for international sales ahead of next week's European Film Market.
The announcement positions Unforgettable as one of the most anticipated pre-sales titles at EFM, bringing together an impressive roster of producers including Cassian Elwes (The Butler), Charles D. King (Mudbound), William Rosenfeld (It's What's Inside), Poppy Hanks (Fences), Jimmy Edwards (The Beach Boys), Veronica Radaelli (Dead Man's Wire), and Fred Berger (La La Land), who recently came off the eight-time Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.
Domingo co-wrote the script with Vernon Scott, building on years of quiet development. The Sing Sing and Rustin star has long-standing ties to Cole's story, having previously co-written the play Lights Out: Nat King Cole with Patricia McGregor, which premiered at the Geffen Playhouse. That production imagined what might have been going through the singer's mind during his groundbreaking 1957 Christmas special on The Nat King Cole Show.
Nathaniel Adams Coles (1919-1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, achieved mainstream success with a string of timeless hits, including his most recognized song "Unforgettable." His 1960 Christmas album The Magic of Christmas became the bestselling Christmas album of the decade. Throughout his career, Cole faced intense racial discrimination, including being violently attacked on stage in Birmingham, Alabama in 1956.
The film will explore Cole's journey as both musician and quiet revolutionary, navigating racial injustice, Hollywood sabotage, and self-doubt to ensure his legacy and help pave the way for future generations of artists. Industry sources indicate the project is being pitched as PG-13 for broad appeal, with production slated to begin later this year.
Domingo's 2026 slate is remarkably full. In April, he'll appear as Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson in Antoine Fuqua's Michael, followed by the highly anticipated return of HBO's Euphoria. June will see him co-star alongside Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor in Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day.
The involvement of Iconic Artists Group president Jimmy Edwards as a producer is particularly significant, as the company acquired a range of rights from the Nat King Cole estate in March 2022, providing the project with unprecedented access to Cole's legacy.
With Domingo's proven track record of bringing depth and nuance to portrayals of Black historical figures—as evidenced by his Oscar-nominated performance as civil rights leader Bayard Rustin—Unforgettable promises to offer both an intimate character study and a broader examination of an artist who helped break down racial barriers in American entertainment.
Would you like me to adjust the tone, add any specific angles, or format this differently for a particular platform?