Otis Redding biopic in the works; John Boyega to star
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An upcoming film about the legendary singer Otis Redding has found its stars.
Variety reports that Star Wars actor John Boyega has been cast to play the legendary soul singer with Till‘s Danielle Deadwyler playing his wife, Zelma Redding, in the biopic Otis & Zelma.
The film, directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples, will chronicle the life of the famed singer, best known for such tunes as “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” and “Hard to Handle.”
According to the description, the film “celebrates the 10 short years Otis and Zelma had together, and their eternal love story after his passing.” Redding died in a plane crash in 1967 at the age of 27.
The description adds, “Zelma’s resilience and determination to preserve his musical legacy for the last 56 years fuels her, just as much as Otis’ love for Zelma fueled him.”
In other Otis Redding news … the singer will be posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday. He will receive the 2,791st star and is being honored in the category of Live Theatre/Live Performance.
Quincy Jones, a longtime music industry powerhouse and hitmaking producer of multi-platinum albums, including Michael Jackson‘s Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, died on Sunday. He was 91.
His death was announced by his publicist, Arnold Robinson, who said Jones died at his home in Bel Air, California. Jones was surrounded by his family, including his children and siblings, at the time of his death, the announcement said.
“And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him,” the family said in a statement.
During his decades-long career, Jones was nominated for 80 Grammy Awards, of which he won 28. He was the all-time most-nominated composer and producer, his publicist said on Monday.
His was a career punctuated often by chart-topping hits, many of which were also critical successes. He produced albums for Michael Jackson, including Off the Wall, Bad and Thriller, which ranks as the best-selling album of all time.
Quincy was a seasoned producer by the time Thriller came out in 1982. He had won his first Grammy in 1963 for an arrangement of “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Count Basie.
He then partnered with Frank Sinatra for Sinatra at the Sands, an album that included “Fly Me to the Moon.” Jones’ publicist noted on Monday that that version of the song was the “the first recording played by astronaut Buzz Aldrin when he landed upon the moon’s surface in 1969.”
He also produced and conducted “We Are the World,” which brought together pop luminaries of all ages and became the best-selling single of all time.
Jones was often referred to as entertainment royalty — and it would be difficult to overstate the breadth of his career or the depth of his influence on popular culture. He had begun his career as a composer and become a music producer. And he would eventually also make his mark on Hollywood.
He was a co-producer with Steven Spielberg on The Color Purple, a 1985 film staring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover and Whoopi Goldberg. That film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including two nominations for Jones’ original song and score.
He also served as executive producer on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the TV series staring Will Smith that premiered in 1990. Jones also founded VIBE Magazine in 1991.
Jones’ family said on Monday that Jones was “truly one of a kind,” adding that “we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created.”
They added, “Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”
Ella Purnell stars as Rhiannon Lewis in the new six-part Starz drama Sweetpea, about a young woman who transforms from meek wallflower to emboldened serial killer. Think Dexter meets female rage.
Purnell, who can also be seen in hit shows Yellowjackets and Fallout, says taking on this role in particular scared her because of its moral ambiguity.
“That was our goal with this series, was to conflict the audience, you know, make them relate to Rhiannon’s emotions and her motivations, but obviously not her actions,” she tells ABC Audio. “And that was just really interesting to me. I didn’t know if I could do it, and it really scared me.”
She was able to tap into Rhiannon’s rage — which manifests into some pretty intense kill scenes — by shaking off any inhibitions she may have had while filming.
“[I had to] not think about the cameras, not think about all my mates who are standing around on the set and just like let it out,” she says. “And it actually became quite therapeutic. And I think with all of those scenes, I didn’t practice them, I didn’t plan them, I didn’t really know what was going to come out and that was quite exciting.”
So what’s one pet peeve that would land someone on Purnell’s metaphorical “kill list”?
“One big one for me is … when people like constantly interrupt you,” she says. “We all have that one person who every time we speak, they decide to pipe up. And it’s only when we speak and they cut you off.”
Sweetpea debuted Thursday on Starz and will air new episodes every Friday.
Janis: Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images; Shailene:Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for STARZ
Shailene Woodley is opening up about her plans to play Janis Joplin on the big screen.
The actress’s plans to produce and star in a biopic about Joplin were announced in early September. During an appearance on Live with Kelly and MarkWednesday,she discussed how important it is to her to get things right.
“It’s been over six years of putting it together,” she said of the film. “To me, it’s important to do these things with a lot of integrity and a lot of care. Janis is someone I just have always deeply respected and admired, like the spirit in her, and the soul she was on this planet and kind of the light that she was on this planet.”
She added, “It’s been a really fun journey getting to know her better through the process of finding all the creative elements.”
As for whether she can tackle the singing needed for the film, Shailene shared, “I’m not like a trained singer, but … I can sing in my shower. It turns out I can also sing outside of the shower, which I didn’t really know until I started working on the Janis project.”
She says she’s been working with hit songwriter Linda Perry getting ready for the film, noting, “She’s really encouraged me and helped me find my center in my own voice, which is incredible.”
