The long-planned production takes a de rigueur step, turning to fans to bridge the funding gap.

Last year, Don Cheadle appeared ready to direct and star in a long-gestating Miles Davis biopic (then titled Kill the Trumpet Player) that focuses on a period when he temporarily retired from making music and then re-emerged in 1979. The producers of the film, now titled Miles Ahead, have followed the lead of everyone from Neil Young to Mobb Deep by turning to crowdfunding.

“Most studios don’t make these kinds of movies anymore, so we are doing it independently,” Cheadle said in a statement. “I’m personally putting a big chunk of money into our budget as well as putting all my fees back in. But the extra money we hope to raise on Indiegogo will help us recreate the multiple time periods we’re dealing with and with the logistics of incorporating all the music.”

The Indiegogo campaign has a goal of $325,000, to be raised by July 10. Watch Cheadle’s introduction to the campaign below. The film co-stars Ewan McGregor as a Rolling Stone reporter and Zoë Saldana as Frances Davis; Davis collaborator Herbie Hancock is rumored to be involved in some capacity. [via Deadline]