Queen Latifah to Star in HBO's Bessie Smith Biopic

According to Deadline, Queen Latifah has signed on to play blues legend Bessie Smith in HBO's upcoming, untitled biopic of the late star. PARIAH's Dee Rees will write and direct.

The biopic, based upon Chris Albertson's biography, BESSIE, "chronicles how Smith overcame her tempestuous personal life to become one of the most acclaimed performing and recording artists of the 1920s and '30s, earning the nickname Empress of the Blues."

Queen Latifah is an actress, singer and recording actress who has amassed a wide range of accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, two NAACP Image Awards and a Grammy Award. She's also received six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination. Her film credits include the role of the feisty warden 'Matron "Mama" Morton' in Chicago, for which she received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination. She also starred in Hairspray, The Secret Lives of Bees, Beauty Shop and Joyful Noise. For television, Queen Latifah's role as an HIV-positive woman in Life Support earned her a Golden Globe Award, SAG Award and NAACP Image Award, as well as an Emmy nomination. Her Production Company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, she runs with partner Shakim Compere.

Photo Credit: RD/Kirkland/Retna Digital