Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer to Star in James Brown Biopic?

TheWrap.com reports that Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Nelsan Ellis may join the cast of an upcoming James Brown biopic from "The Help" director Tate Taylor. The actresses would join previously announced cast member Chadwick Boseman, who will take on the role of the Godfather of Soul.

Boseman will portray Brown "over a period of several decades, from his disadvantaged youth to his status as a bonafide music icon."

Spencer is best known for her role as Minny, the outspoken maid in the 2011 film The Help, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, among other accolades including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, andScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.

Davis won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for her role in August Wilson's King Hedley II (2001). She won a second Drama Desk Award for Intimate Apparel (2004), followed by a second Tony and a third Drama Desk Award for her role in Fences (2010).

Among her most notable films are Traffic (2000), Antwone Fisher (2002), Solaris (2002) and The Help (2011). Her eleven-minute-long performance in the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Doubt (2008) earned several honors, including anAcademy Award nomination. Her role in the film The Help has garnered two Screen Actors Guild Awards (one for Lead Actress and one for Best Ensemble in a motion picture), a BAFTA Award nomination, another Academy Awardnomination, and a Golden Globe nomination.

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