Mark Ruffalo has had a pretty good year, with his Oscar nomination for The Kids Are All Right and his upcoming role as Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk in the much anticipated The Avengers, which starts shooting this summer. Although he’s gearing up for the comic book movie, that hasn’t stopped him from booking another role. Variety reports that Ruffalo has signed on to star in and executive produce Low Down, about the life of Jazz pianist Joe Albany. Back in his day Albany was a much in-demand ivory tickler, playing with such Jazz legends as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis until an addiction to heroin sent him on a downward spiral.

Low Down will focus on the late 60’s-early 70’s part of his life, when he was a strung out player living in Los Angeles and hanging with various eccentrics across many bars and low-rent hotels across the city. The story will be told from the point of view of his 11-year old daughter Amy, who witnesses these events and also tries to connect with her father.

Production is expected to begin at the end of the year with first time feature director Jeff Preiss taking the reigns from a script based on Albany’s memoir of the same name.

Musicians love drugs, do you love movies about musicians on drugs?

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