Lenny Kravitz set to play Marvin Gaye

Los Angeles - Lenny Kravitz will play Marvin Gaye in a new biopic.

The Fly Away singer is set to portray the late Motown singer in a film directed by Julien Temple, who is best known for helming the Sex Pistols mockumentary The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.

This will be Lenny's first leading role after having appeared in several other features, including this year's blockbuster The Hunger Games where he played stylist Cinna.

The Evening Standard are reporting Lenny will relive the last few years of Marvin's life in the film, spanning his alcohol addiction and tax evasion while he lived in London in the early 1980s.

'Very sceptical'

Janis Gaye, the singer's second and last wife, is said to be "very sceptical" about how the project will turn out.

Marvin battled against his drug dependency after moving to Ostend, Belgium, but was shot by his own father shortly afterwards in Los Angeles in March 1984 after they argued about misplaced business documents.

He is best known for his classic Motown tracks Heard It Through The Grapevine, Let's Get It On and Sexual Healing, earning him the nickname The Prince of Soul.

Another singer set to embody one of his musical idols on the big screen is Outkast's Andre 3000, who is playing Jimi Hendrix in upcoming biopic All Is By My Side.

The film chronicles the guitar legend's career breakthrough after he moved to London in 1966.