Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker will portray Louis Armstrong in What a Wonderful World, an upcoming film based on the life of the legendary trumpeter.

Forest says: “Armstrong left a monumental mark on our lives and our culture,” said Whitaker, who also played jazz man Charlie Parker in 1988’s ‘Bird.’ He lived an amazing life and, through his art, shifted the way music was played and would be heard after him, not just here in the U.S. but all over the world.”

What A Wonderful World begins shooting in Louisiana next Summer.