Angela Bassett will make her directorial debut with a Lifetime Original Movie based on the life of Whitney Houston, Lifetime announced Thursday.
Scheduled for a 2015 world premiere under the working title of “Whitney Houston,” the film chronicles the headline-making relationship between the iconic singer, actress, producer and model, and singer-songwriter Bobby Brown — from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity, to their courtship and tumultuous marriage.
“I have such regard for both Whitney’s and Bobby’s amazing talents and accomplishments; and I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story,” said Bassett in a statement. “Their humanity and bond fascinates us all. I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world.”
Produced by The Sanitsky Company, “Whitney Houston” will be executive produced by Larry Sanitsky. Shem Bitterman wrote the film’s script.
Bassett and Lifetime previously collaborated on last year’s original movie “Betty & Coretta.” Starring Bassett and Mary J. Blige, the Humanitas Prize finalist told the dual real-life stories of Coretta Scott King (Bassett) and Dr. Betty Shabazz (Blige), wives of Dr. Martin Luther King (Malik Yoba) and Malcolm X (Lindsay Owen Pierre), who formed an unbreakable life-long bond after their husbands’ tragic assassinations.
article by Laura Prudom via Variety.com
Posts tagged as ““Betty And Coretta””
The Screen Actors Guild released their list of award nominees this morning — one day before the Golden Globes announces their selections of the year’s best television shows and motion pictures. Among the top nominees for the 20th annual SAG awards were 12 Years a Slave and Lee Daniels’ The Butler – which solidified their status as front-runners for the Oscars.
12 Years a Slave led the pack with four nominations: outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role (Chiwetel Ejifor), outstanding performance by a male actor in a supporting role (Michael Fassbender) and outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role (Lupita Nyong’o). The film also scored big among other awards ceremonies after the Boston Society of Film Critics awarded the film its top prize while the New York Film Critics Online named it best picture of the year.
Lee Daniels’ The Butler was also a top contender with three nominations. Oprah Winfrey was nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role and Forest Whitaker was among the nominees for outstanding performance by male actor in a leading role. The film was also nominated for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.
Meanwhile, in television Kerry Washington and Angela Bassett and Don Cheadle all earned nominations for their work this year, Washington for lead actress in the ABC drama Scandal, Bassett for her turn as Coretta Scott King in the Lifetime television movie Betty and Coretta, and Cheadle for his Showtime comedy series House of Lies.
Disney Channels has tapped Naketha Mattocks as VP, Original Movies.
Mattocks supervises creative development for the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise, which has produced TV’s top movie among tweens age 9-14 for the past 11 years. She will develop scripts, generate new projects, collaborate with writers and directors and oversee the creative storytelling throughout production.
“Disney Channel Original Movies are unmatched in delivering fresh and relevant storytelling that deeply connects with our audience of kids, tweens and families,” Adam Bonnett, executive VP, Original Programming, Disney Channels Worldwide, said. “With Naketha’s experience, passion, sharp instincts and strong relationships, we’re well positioned to build on our successful track record as a creative magnet and TV movie powerhouse.”
Before joining Disney Channel, Mattocks was an independent film and television producer who sold projects to an array of broadcast and cable television networks, including ABC Family, CBS Films, Hallmark Hall of Fame/ABC, Lifetime Television and VH1. In 2012, she was a consultant for Lifetime Television where she served as an executive on projects that included “Betty and Coretta,” “A Killer Among Us,” “Twist of Faith” and “House of Versace.”