The Italian Job director F. Gary Gray is taking on Sopranos star James Gandolfini in a battle to portray legendary soul man Marvin Gaye on the big screen.

Gray has just signed on to direct the biopic Marvin, which will go head to head with Gandolfini's Sexual Healing-- set to star Rent's Jesse L. Martin as the smooth singer.

Music mogul David Foster will co-produce the Gray film, which will feature a soundtrack of Gaye originals, which a yet-to-be-cast star will lip sync to.

Gaye was shot to death by his father in 1984.

Both Sexual Healing and Marvin have been projects in work for some time and both have been held up by music rights.

Foster has reportedly secured a package of Gaye's biggest hits, while Gandolfini and his co-producers have secured the rights to Gaye's post-Motown tunes for Sexual Healing.

Gray tells Daily Variety he can't wait to get started on his labor of love: "This is my passion project, the one that I wake up every day thinking about."

-Sopranos Pictures
-Marvin Gaye Pictures
-Marvin Gaye Ringtones

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)