R&B, soul and pop singer Mary J. Blige is set to play Nina Simone in an upcoming film biopic. The project has been in the pipeline since 2005, but now Blige has been officially confirmed to star in the lead role.
According to Billboard.com, 'Nina' will focus mainly on the legendary jazz singer's relationship with her assistant Clifton Henderson, though we imagine there'll also be plenty of screen time devoted to Simone's fiery personality, her accomplishments as a civil rights activist, and of course, her many hit songs.
The role of Clifton Henderson will be played by David Oyelowo, who also played Dr. Junju in The Last King of Scotland. With a script penned by Cynthia Mort, who has previously written and produced a number of episodes of Will & Grace and Roseanne, it seems as if 'Nina' will be a fairly modest production with a budget of $10million, financed by Ealing Studios.
Mary J. Blige will be singing a selection of Nina Simone's hits for the film. Simone's back catalogue features such classics as 'Feeling Good', 'Mr, Bojangles', 'My Baby Just Cares For Me' and 'Ain't Got No, I Got Life'.
