Confirmed! Tony Winner Heather Headley to Lead BODYGUARD Musical; Talks West End, Broadway

As first speculated by The Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye, Tony Award winner Heather Headley was rumored to headed back to the stage, filling the shoes of Whitney Houston in the stage adaptation of THE BODYGUARD in the West End.

Today, the star confirmed the news via Facebook, annoucing:

"So, let's talk about London.... Yes! I've been offered the role of Rachel in the musical version The Bodyguard. Very Honored! The script has been rewritten a bit and it's very interesting. Needless to say, the music is great (they're using many of the songs of Whitney's catalogue) - - very challenging, but great. We'll start on the West End in London and then we'll move to Broadway (if all goes well - - I think it will). Anyhow, give me your thoughts. What do you think about this one? To be or not to be - - that is the question....

A workshop for the musical was held this summer, and another - also starring Headley - will take place in January, with an opening night tentatively slated for late autumn of 2012. 

Thea Sharrock is set to direct; Alex Dinelarius has penned the book, which is not a carbon copy of the film, though it reportedly retains some of its memorable soundtrack hits.

Tony and Grammy Award winner Headley was born and spent most of her childhood on the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad. In 1997, Ms. Headley, a Northwestern University alum, won the role of Nala in the original Broadway cast of the Elton John and Tim Rice's hit Tony winning musical The Lion King. Her portrayal of the Nubian princess, Aida, won her the praise of critics and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. In addition to other awards, she also received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. That year she was listed as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People and Essence Magazine's 30 Women To Watch.

Headley continued her Broadway success on the pop charts with her 2002 debut album on RCA Records, This Is Who I Am which featured productions by several top-flight producers including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Shep Crawford. Two songs, the single "He Is" and the album track "I Wish I Wasn't," both emerged as Top 5 R&B and Dance chart hits. She earned numerous accolades for This Is Who I Am, including Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. At the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards she won dual honors: R&B/Soul Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist. She also received nominations at the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Female Artist, and BET Awards in the "Cool Like That" category.

In January 2006, Ms. Headley returned with In My Mind, her long-awaited second solo album, once again working with an A-list of producers, among them Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Ne-Yo, Warryn Campbell, and Lil' Jon. The title track became Headley's first #1 hit, topping the Dance charts. She took her first foray into the gospel music world in 2009 with the release of her third studio album Audience of One, for which she was awarded the Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.

Over the past few years Ms. Headley has also displayed her versatility as one of classical star Andrea Bocelli's favorite singing partners. She has been featured in many of his American and international tours, his "Live In Tuscany" PBS special, and his "Under The Desert Sky" live concert DVD.