First Look at '42' Star Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in 'Get on Up'

Chadwick Boseman has already brought one icon to life, playing Jackie Robinson in 42. He'll do it again when he portrays James Brown in Get on Up. Entertainment Weekly debuted our first look Boseman as Brown on Friday.

Get on Up is directed by Tate Taylor, making it the direct's follow-up to the Oscar-winning The Help. "As I dug in and started to discover more about [Brown], the good and the bad, I loved the reasons he was often bad and I loved the reasons he was good," Taylor said to EW. "I love that he would stop at nothing to keep reinventing himself so he could stay current, and as a result he changed music."

Boseman is joined by Nelsan Ellis, Tika Sumpter, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Dan Akroyd and, baed on EW's pic, Craig Robinson. Get on Up opens on Aug. 1.