Several of your faves have landed new gigs! Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis, and Sanaa Lathan are set to star in a new film titled, The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. Meanwhile, singer H.E.R. is set to star as Belle in the upcoming Beauty and the Beast 30th anniversary special, and young actress Storm Reid will be starring and producing “Becoming Noble.” Deets on their respective projects inside…
A new version of “The Supremes” is set for the big screen.
Hollywood Heavy Hitters Uzo Aduba, Aunjanue Ellis, and Sanaa Lathan have been casted to star in Searchlight Pictures' adaptation of The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat, which is the 2013 New York Times best-selling novel by EdwardKelsey Moore. And - based on the people behind the project and in front of the camera - we can already tell it’s going to be GOODT.
"Queen Sugar’s" Tina Mabry will direct from a script Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Woman King) penned with revisions by Tina.
In the forthcoming film, the trio will play three best friends based in Plainview, Indiana, affectionately known as the “The Supremes.” The ladies have weathered life’s storms together - marriage, children & more - for over two decades up until they find their paths at a crossroads that test their sisterhood.
Temple Hill Entertainment is set to produce the film, as DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas oversee production for Searchlight Pictures.
The new film offered a reunion for Sanaa - who earned her first EMMY nomination for her role on Succession - will be reuniting with her Love & Basketball colleague Gina Prince-Bythewood. By the way, Sanaa is set to follow in her father’s footsteps as she will make her directorial debut with On the Come Up and introduce the film at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Aujuane is still riding off of her King Richard role, which earned her an Oscar nomination. She’ll be starring in the upcoming Color Purple musical. Also, Uzo recently lent her voice for the Disney/Pixar film Lightyear and has appeared in HBO’s “In Treatment,” for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.
We’ll keep you posted.
Also…
There’s a new Disney princess amongst us to help tell a “tale as old as time!”
Oscar & Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter H.E.R. has been tapped to star as Belle in ABC’s upcoming “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.” The animated and live-action special will be executive produced by Jon M. Chu and directed by HamishHamilton, according to Deadline. The special will include never-before-seen live musical performances, new sets, and costumes inspired by the original.
The R&B songstress is the first Black and Filipina woman to play Belle onscreen. The “Fate” singer. gushed about her her new role on social media while in Paris:
”PRACTICING MY DISNEY PRINCESS IN NICE,” she wrote. “YOURE LOOKING AT THE FIRST BLACK AND FILIPINO BELLE FOR ABC’s ‘Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration’ I’ve always wanted to be a Disney princess.”
Variety reported the special will include a screening of the film, as well live and animated performances created to pay homage and add to the essence of the iconic story for viewers at home. The cast will perform songs from the original animated classic in front of a live audience at Disney Studios.
“We were both influenced as storytellers by the original animated movie, so it’s very exciting to collaborate together to honor the artistry of that timeless classic while also inspiring a whole new generation of creators,” executive producer Jon Chu said.
H.E.R. will bless Disney fans with her vocals just in time for the holidays as “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” will premiere on December 15th at 8PM EST. It will also be available to stream the following day on Disney+.
Also...
Storm Reid just turned 19 and she’s already celebrating with a new bag.
The “Euphoria” star is set to star and produce Paramount’s upcoming film, Becoming Noble, which follows a high school senior who learns she’s a princess of an African nation and travels to her home country on the continent to discover her roots, and to determine if “royal” is something she really wants to be.
Almost sounds like the Coming 2 America sequel.
Variety reports:
Reid will produce the film alongside her mother Robyn Simpson under their A Seed & Wings Productions banner. Cas Sigers Beedles (“Unthinkably Good Things”) is also set to produce the film with Nneka Gerstle (“Just Beyond”) writing the script.
“This has truly been a passion project and we are so excited to bring this story to life,” stated Reid, Simpson and Sigers Beedles, announcing the project. “’Becoming Noble’ started out as just an idea that we continued to build on together and we now look forward to working with the team at Paramount to hit the ground running.”
Reid and Simpson launched A Seed & Wings as a multimedia production house, rooted in narratives that forge multicultural conversations, entertain, educate and uplift. Among their recent projects is Facebook’s “Chop It Up,” a conversation series hosted by Reid where she invites her close friends and fellow entertainers to talk about topics relevant to Gen Z while making their favorite dish. As an actor, Reid’s star has been on the rise since her starring turn in 2018’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” with prime roles in the Netflix limited series “When They See Us,” “The Invisible Man” and “The Suicide Squad.”
Sweet. Congrats, Storm!
Photos: lev radin/Kathy Hutchins/Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock
