The Vampire Diaries‘ Kat Graham will star in a biopic about Motown singer Tammi Terrell. The film will follow the brief career of Terrell, who collaborated with Marvin Gaye on a string of 1960s hits including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” before dying from a brain tumor at the age of 24.
Queen Latifah will star in and produce the HBO biopic Blue Goose Hollow about the legendary blues singer. The film will detail Smith’s life as one of the greatest blues singer in America who also became the highest-paid African American performer of the 1920s. Filming begins in June.
Chadwick Boseman is set to portray James Brown in the biopic Get On Up, which opens in theaters August 1. Boseman, who took the spotlight in the Jackie Robinson biopic 42, has already proven his ability to really capture the essence of an icon and his slight resemblance to Brown is sure to only work in his advantage.
Zoe Saldana’s casting as Nina Simone for Nina, the biopic centered around the late singer’s life, initially drew much controversy over her lack of resemblance to the jazz icon. Saldana may not neccessarily be who critics envisioned to play Simone in the film, but she certainly has the acting chops to pull off the role with ease.
Andre 3000’s performance in the Jimi Hendrix biopic All Is By My Side (out June 13) is already getting plenty of buzz. The rapper’s eclectic and out-of-the box musical style heavily mirrors that of the late instrumentalist. We can’t wait to see Andre channel his inner Hendrix.
The upcoming MLK biopic, Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, will feature actress Carmen Ejogo (pictured) as Coretta Scott King and David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Toni Braxton will play legendary vocalist Darlene Love in a forthcoming biopic. My Name is Love: The Darlene Love Story is set to premiere in December on OWN.
A four-minute teaser of the forthcoming biopic on the life of Marvin Gaye starring Law & Order alum Jesse L. Martin recently surfaced online. Though the film—tentatively titled Sexual Healing—has been plagued with its share of controversy, let’s hope the teaser is a sure sign there’ll be a release date in the near future. Good call on casting Martin as Gaye. We had no idea he was the splitting image of the late singer.
It was recently confirmed that Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, will executive produce and co-finance a biopic of her son that will begin filming in 2014. But no leading man has been announced yet. If we had to choose one, we’d recommend Michael B. Jordan. Sure, he isn’t a Tupac lookalike, but if his performance of another flawed young man—Oscar Grant—in Fruitvale Station is anything to go by, we bet he can handle the late great ‘Pac.
The eight-time Grammy Award winning “Sophisticated Lady” wasn’t always so sophisticated. The daughter of Nat King Cole has been married three times and admitted that in the past she was an incessant drug user. Her addiction to heroine and crack cocaine was so serious that she once refused to leave a burning building because she needed to score.
Although Living for Love: The Natalie Cole Story was made in 2001, it never made it to the big screen. Regina King, who has her own set of beautiful eyes, and in Ray has already proved she’s capable of delivering the raw emotion of someone hooked on drugs, would do an excellent job to tell the tumultuous tale.
There’s no doubt that Jennifer Hudson can bring her heartfelt and passionate vocals to an Aretha Franklin biopic, but she’s also got the big personality, charm and captivating stage presence that’ll make her role that much more convincing. Besides, the Queen of Soul hasn’t been shy in naming Hudson as her pick for the role.
Yes, Dave Chappelle has already played James in jest, but it’s really Terrence Howard who would be able to capture James’ hedonistic qualities. And we all know no one pulls off the irresistable, yet flawed, character quite like Howard.
His role in The Butler and Precious have shown Lenny Kravitz’s great potential as an actor. With a quasi-Prince look and fearless sense of style, Kravitz could pull off the uber-eccentric artist. And he already knows all about the rock and roll lifestyle.
Academy Award-winner Forest Whittaker does a great job portraying high-strung characters—take his role in The Last King of Scotland. He could make us understand the talent and the internal struggles that caused Hathaway to take his own life.
Beyonce alluded to her in Dreamgirls, but Taraji P. Henson could make for a more convincing Diana Ross. They’ve got a slightly similar look and Henson already revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that playing Ross would be her dream role.
In 2012 Tyrese tweeted that he had secured the rights to Teddy Pendergrass’s life story. Shortly after Pendergrass’s death in 2010, he shared that he had spent time with the late icon during his last days as research for an upcoming biopic already in the works. Though nothing official has come of Tyrese’s news, we’re taking his commitment to making the film a reality as a sign that he’ll deliver an excellent performance.
The Grammy Award-winning rapper/singer, Lauryn Hill, dropped out of the limelight and left us wanting more. We think Kerry Washington can balance the swag and sophistication of one of this generation’s most talented American recording artists, with ease. Besides, they kinda look alike.
