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Queen Latifah To Play Blues Icon Bessie Smith

Queen Latifah and acclaimed director Dee Rees (‘Pariah”) have teamed up to present the HBO biopic of legendary blue singer Bessie Smith. Latifah will play Bessie in the long form project. So far there is no title for the flick. According to reports, it will chronicle the singers rise to fame despite her turbulent love life. She carried on relationships with both men and women. Since Queen Latifah once played a bisexual character in “Set It Off,” we’re sure she’ll have no problems channeling Smith.

Bessie was given the nickname “The Empress of the Blues.” She was the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s and 1930s. She died in a car crash.

The TV film will be produced by HBO Films in association with Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere’s Flavor Unit Entertainment and Lili and Richard Zanuck’s the Zanuck Company.

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