Biopic
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The first trailer for director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black, dropped on Thursday morning (Jan. 11), in which Industry co-star Marisa Abela fully embodies the brightly burning, troubled British R&B singer who died in 2011 at 27 of an accidental alcohol overdose after years of substance use struggles.
The 70-second trailer is cued to the title track from Winehouse’s second, and final, studio album, playing out over the beloved song co-written by the singer and album producer Mark Ronson. “I don’t write songs to be famous, I wrote songs because I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t,” Abela says in an interview as Winehouse in the opening shot of the preview in which the up-and-coming actress perfectly captures the Grammy-winning star’s distinctive London accent.
As a crowd shouts “Amy, Amy, Amy!,” the camera focuses in on a shot of Winehouse from backstage — with the singer’s distinctive, towering beehive hairdo, glittering short dress and cat-eye makeup on full display — before cutting to a shot of a pre-fame Winehouse strutting confidently down a Camden street smoking a cigarette and listening to music.
The clip then turns to Winehouse beginning to assemble her iconic stage look — including her many tattoos — and spotting future ex-husband and partner in debauchery Blake Fielder-Civil (Jack O’Connell) in an audience as the singer begins her ascent. “You gotta remember, I ain’t no Spice Girl,” Winehouse says as the chronicle of her meteoric rise to fame becomes increasingly hectic.
The Studio Canal film written by Matt Greenhalgh (Nowhere Boy) was made with the support of the Winehouse estate, Universal Music Group and Sony Music Publishing and will feature a number of the singer’s most beloved hits.
The trailer’s description promises that the movie will be a “celebration of the most iconic – and much missed – homegrown star of the 21st century… painting a vivid, vibrant picture of the Camden streets she called home and capturing the struggles of global fame… [and honoring] Amy’s artistry, wit, and honesty, as well as trying to understand her demons. An unflinching look at the modern celebrity machine and a powerful tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent.”
Back to Black will open in the U.S. on May 10.
Watch the Back to Black trailer below.
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The immigration ordeal that 21 Savage endured back in 2019 leading to his arrest will get a stylistic depiction via film starring actors Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin. Both actors will portray 21 Savage at various stages of his life and a new trailer shows off the pair, face tattoos and all.
Stylized on YouTube as the american dream: the 21 savage story, the trailer for the film, directed by Stephen Glover, Jamal Olori, Fam Udeorji, and Luis Perez, opens with Donald Glover, donning dreadlocks, being arrested by ICE officials and hauled off to prison. As the clip progresses, Caleb McLaughlin, playing the younger version of 21, is seen facing off with the rapper inside an interrogation room, displaying 21 delivering a new song.
Further in the clip, actress Gail Bean, apparently playing a family member of 21, speaks to McLaughlin in character, and another scene shows popular social media star Druski bullying the rapper. Later in the trailer, Glover depicts in a scene how 21 arrived at his stage name while in a recording studio.
Written by Jamal Olori and Stephen Glover, the film does not yet have a release date but is created in conjunction with Lionsgate, Epic Records, and 21 Savage’s Slaughter Gang imprint. The film also stars Jabari Banks, Chad Lindberg, Victoria Pedretti, Young Mazino, and Natasha Lyonne.
One can imagine with the Glover brothers involved, the film will take twists and turns outside of a normal biopic. Check out the trailer below.
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Timothée Chalamet says he’s been given access to a ton of unreleased Bob Dylan music in preparation for his role in an upcoming biopic about the iconic singer-songwriter.
During an interview with Happy Sad Confused’s Josh Horowitz, the Wonka star revealed that Dylan’s longtime manager, Jeff Rosen, sent him a 12-hour playlist of unreleased songs by the legendary artist, recorded between 1959 and 1964. Rosen is serving as a producer on the forthcoming film, titled A Complete Unknown.
“This might earn the ire and wrath of a lot of Bob fans, rightfully,” Chalamet told Horowitz. “But he sent me like a 12-hour playlist of unreleased Bob stuff from like 1959 to ’64. I feel like I’m holding onto gold or something.”
The Dune actor pointed out that some of the music is already available to fans through such bootlegs as The Minnesota Tapes.
A Complete Unknown stars Chalamet as Dylan, Benedict Cumberbatch as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Elle Fanning in an unspecified role. Woody Guthrie will also be portrayed in the movie, though the actor cast for the role has not yet been announced.
The biopic, directed by James Mangold, is scheduled to begin production in August. The project is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric and a script from Jay Cocks.
Mangold previously confirmed that Chalamet will do his own singing in the forthcoming Searchlight Pictures film. During an interview with Collider at London’s Star Wars Celebration in early April, the director was asked whether the actor would do his own crooning in the movie, instead of dubbing in Dylan’s voice. Mangold replied, “Of course!”
“It’s such an amazing time in American culture,” Mangold said when asked what drew him to the Dylan film. “The story of a young, 19-year-old Bob Dylan coming to New York with like two dollars in his pocket and becoming a worldwide sensation within three years — first being embraced into the family of folk music in New York and then, of course, kind of outrunning them at a certain point as his star rises so beyond belief. It’s such an interesting true story and about such an interesting moment in the American scene.”
Bob Marley’s legendary life and career will be captured in the forthcoming film Bob Marley: One Love, and in a new clip shared on Monday (Dec. 4), the late reggae star’s son, Ziggy Marley, gives actor Kingsley Ben-Adir the stamp of approval for his portrayal of his father. “In the audition, I saw Kingsley, who plays […]
Kylie Minogue is preparing to end 2023 with a major bang — following the success of her chart-topping single “Padam Padam,” the Australian pop star will be releasing her upcoming album, Tension, in September and is headed to Las Vegas for her first ever residency come November. Speaking with E! News, the singer revealed that […]
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Even though The Fugees enjoyed critical success, their story has yet to be formally told. Wyclef Jean says it is a bit too soon to do their biopic.
As spotted on TMZ, the Newark, New Jersey native was out and about in Manhattan on Monday, July 17 by NBC Studios. The celebrity gossip site had a reporter on site and got Wyclef to give some much needed updates on his career and his bandmates. Earlier this month, he appeared at the Essence Festival and hosted a panel about the importance of the Black community investing wisely, especially at a young age. “My retirement plan starts with my daughter and it’s important,” Wyclef declared.
During his on the spot interview, he clarified his statement saying he is not putting the microphone down just quite yet. “Am I retiring? Probably in five years. I think what happens is a company I’m working with, we’re talking about retirement” he said. “We are showing people how you have to prepare early and build generational wealth.” When asked about Pras post his recent guilty verdict. “What I can definitely tell you about Pras: he’s definitely in good spirits, 100% in good spirits.”
The “Gone Till November” talent also says that it is too early for a Fugees biopic film. “We would love to do a biopic, but it’s still ongoing right now. There is still so much to talk about. It would be amazing but the story is still going on,” he explained. You can see Wyclef discuss matters below.
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Benedict Cumberbatch has reportedly been cast as folk icon Pete Seeger in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Director James Mangold revealed the news to Deadline at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival following a screening of his latest movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Seeger, who died in 2014 at age […]
Teyana Taylor already looks like she could be Dionne Warwick‘s daughter, with her high cheekbones and bright smile, but the “Bare Wit Me” singer confirmed she’s taking on the role of the beloved icon in an upcoming biopic.
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“We’re already working on it,” Taylor told Tamron Hall in a clip from their interview shared exclusively with Billboard. “We’re in the building process right now. I always wanted to make sure I could lock in with any person that I would be playing.”
Taylor went on to note that she was inspired by Angela Bassett’s portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It and Jamie Foxx’s capturing of Ray Charles in 2004’s Ray. “I miss when movies were like that, when you got to really get to know them and tap in,” she added.
Hall shared that given her passion to get to know Warwick, she’ll soon be eating at the “That’s What Friends Are For” star’s favorite Italian restaurant in New Jersey. “We talk almost every day,” Taylor replied excitedly. “That’s my girl.”
Taylor concluded, “I’ve always been a firm believer and stood on safety. She’s had a wonderful career, and I think right now is about making her feel as safe as possible to tell her story because a lot of these stories get misconstrued or dramatized to an extent. That’s not really where we want to go.”
Watch the clip below, and catch the full interview on Tamron Hall Monday (April 3) on ABC.
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Jaafar Jackson, born into music royalty as the son of Jermaine Jackson, will soon step into the role of his iconic uncle, Michael Jackson. The 26-year-old performer has plenty of experience as a singer and dancer and will bring that talent to the screen in the upcoming biopic, Michael.
As exclusively reported by Deadline, Jaafar Jackson will play the late, great King Of Pop in the Antonie Fuqua biopic, currently under development by Lionsgate. Jaafar’s father, Jermaine, was a member of The Jackson 5 along with Jaafar’s influential uncle and has been singing and dancing since the age of 12 according to the outlet. With Fuqua in the director’s chair, the script comes from Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan, who also won a Tony Award for the play Red.
Deadline adds that production on Michael will begin later this year as Fuqua wraps the filming of The Equalizer 3 with Denzel Washington.
Jackson shared the news of him playing his uncle with a photo showing him practicing some of those famous MJ moves.
“I’m humbled and honored to bring my Uncle Michael’s story to life. To all the fans all over the world, I’ll see you soon,” Jaafar wrote in the caption to the post on Monday (Jan. 30).
Michael does not have a release date yet.
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Photo: Gabriel Olsen / Getty
Keeping it in the family. Michael Jackson‘s nephew Jaafar Jackson has officially been cast to portray the King of Pop in Lionsgate’s upcoming biopic, Michael, according to director Antoine Fuqua.
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“Proud to announce @jaafarjackson as Michael — the motion picture event that explores the journey of the man who became the King of Pop. Coming soon,” Fuqua captioned a photo posted to Instagram on Monday (Jan. 30), in which Jaafar is seen dressed as his late uncle, striking one of the icon’s signature poses in the dance studio.
The film will take on the musician’s life and career and will be produced by Graham King (Bohemian Rhapsody) and John Branca and John McClain, who are the co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. There is no information yet surrounding release date and how much of Michael’s life the biopic will dive into.
“Jaafar embodies my son. It’s so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers,” said Katherine Jackson, mother of Michael Jackson, in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
In a career that spanned throughout almost his entire life, the King of Pop had 13 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. He first saw success as part of the family band the Jackson 5, and four of their songs topped the Hot 100.
As a solo artist, Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller became one of the best-selling albums of all time and spent an impressive 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200. Additionally, its seven singles all reached the top 10 of the Hot 100.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at age 50.