There’s a Sam Cooke Biopic Coming, But it May Not Be Authorized By His Estate

There’s a biopic coming that’s focusing on Sam Cooke’s murder.

According to producer Romeo Antonio, Sam Cooke: The Truth is a “murder-mystery” and will look into Cooke’s 1964 death.

Cooke died after being shot by Bertha Franklin, a manager of a South Los Angeles motel. According to reports, Franklin was defending herself against Cooke and his death was deemed a justifiable homicide.

“For years, people have been coming at us to do a movie about Sam. But [Antonio] was the first person who sounded like he wanted what we wanted: the truth to come out about my uncle and his death,” Eugene Jamison, Cooke’s cousin, told The Hollywood Reporter.

His family has long thought his death was caused by his connections to several mob-connected music executives, as well as his role in the civil rights movement.