As we previously reported, Lenny Kravitz had plans to star in a Marvin Gaye biopic. The singer recently announced that he will now be dropping out of the highly anticipated film titled, Sexual Healing. Jesse L. Martin, who has appeared in the stage and film version of the musical Rent, and also the television show Law & Order, is now set to step into the role.

Kravitz has released no actual explanation as to why he decided to leave the role, however; last November it’s said that Gaye’s son, Marvin Gaye III, objected having Kravitz as the chosen role to depict his father and threatened legal actions against the musician if he did not step down from the role.

Martin, as the now appointed actor to play iconic singer Marvin Gaye in the new biopic, has acted in a previous version of the film back in 2008 by James Gandolfini. Sexual Healing will focus on Gaye’s ‘80s European experiences, as well as his struggle to quit his addictions and begin a fresh, new music career. The film is directed by Julien Temple, and is set to begin filming later this month in Europe, as reported by Deadline Hollywood.

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