AceShowbiz -

The first look at Don Cheadle as Miles Davis from upcoming biopic "Miles Ahead" has landed online. Arriving via Entertainment Weekly, the pic shows the actor posing with his head down. He holds a trumpet engraved with the legendary jazz musician's name.

"Miles Ahead", formerly known as "Kill the Trumpet Player", has just started filming in Cincinnati. Starring Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg, Keith Stanfield and Emayatzy Corinealdi, the biopic will chronicle a few dangerous days in the life of Davis, the virtuoso, fighter and genius, as he bursts out of his silent period and conspires with a Rolling Stone writer to steal back his music.

Cheadle will make his directorial debut in the film, which has been his passion project for nearly a decade. He also co-wrote the script with Steven Baigelman ("Feeling Minnesota"), Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson ("Ali"). Cheadle has started an Indiegogo campaign to bring the biopic to life.

"This is an independently produced film. There is no studio element. We're still in the process locking down all the financing so it was a component of funds needed to cover a gap, including my own personal money I've put into the movie and a consortium of others. It's to cover what it takes to put together a period movie, that has to have different looks and ways you-re trying to authenticate the time period you-re dealing with," he explained to EW.

"And the music rights - all of that stuff costs money. But it also felt like a good way to open him up back to the public and try to raise that awareness and use the social mediums to make this a social event. To make it social, like the music Miles talked about. It just made sense on multiple levels to do it this way," he continued.