The first image has emerged from Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic, featuring our first look at Cheadle as the legendary jazz musician.

Entitled Miles Ahead, the film won’t take the usual life-to-death approach to Davis’ story, instead choosing to focus on the period of his life in which he returned to music after five years self-imposed exile.

“I’m not interested by all the things that a traditional biopic does,” explains Cheadle. “I want to tell a hot story that’s full of his music that feels impressionistic in that it finds a way to incorporate all his musical styles and influences and ideas.”

“It needs to feel like his approach,” continues Cheadle, who is also directing the project. “‘I don’t care about what happened before. I’m about what’s happening now and about what’s happening next.’ That’s Miles’ marching orders to me.”

The new image is certainly arresting enough, with Cheadle looking impossibly cool as a trumpet-clutching Davis. Co-starring Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg and Emayatzy Corinealdi, the film is expected to arrive at some point in 2015.