Queen Latifah has been tapped to portray the legendary blues singer Bessie Smith, who roared into the 20’s and seduced the 30’s with her vibrant voice and unique display of eclecticism that garnered her the title “Empress of the Blues”.
Latifah will be collaborating with HBO as executive producer and Pariah’s Dee Rees will not only generate the script, but also direct.
The film will focus primarily on the life of the famed performer, and rely heavily on material from author Chris Albertson’s biography, Bessie.
Based on the names attached to this already highly anticipated project, it’s safe to assume that we will not be disappointed whenever the finished product is unleashed.
Latifah is quite a talent in her own right, having tackled a plethora of genres successfully. Her recent stint as talk show host is another testament to her adaptability. Rees earned well-deserved recognition for Pariah, a coming of age story about an African-American teenager, exploring her homosexuality. Rees was awarded an Independent Spirit Award, and the film also scored the cinematography award at the Sundance Film Festival.
It might be too early to speculate but we are almost positive that this will be an absolute knockout!