Lizzo and Zendaya Both Set For Upcoming Music Legend Biopics!

Rumors have finally been laid to rest as it has just been confirmed that both Zendaya and Lizzo will lead much-anticipated biopics of legendary African-American musicians this year. Let’s look at whose life stories they will tell!

Lizzo as Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Amazon MGM Studios has just announced that the 4-time Grammy winner Lizzo will transform into the guitarist and singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe for its upcoming biopic Rosetta.

Born in 1915, Tharpe has left behind an impressive legacy as "The Original Soul Sister" and "The Godmother of Rock and Roll". Tharpe is particularly known for her abstract mix of gospel music and the electric guitar, leading spiritual music into the mainstream and paving the way for electrical blues. Greats like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry have credited the guitarist as an influence and inspiration for their own music.

To portray one music legend, it surely takes another – and this is where Lizzo comes into the picture. With her Billboard charting songs like “Truth Hurts”, “Good as Hell”, and “About Damn Time”, Lizzo has proven that she has what it takes to write music history and to capture it on screen with her film debut in the critically-acclaimed Hustlers (2019). The award-winning singer and rapper will not only star as Rosetta but is also producing the biopic alongside Forest Whitaker, Kevin Beisler, and Nina Yang Bongiovi (Jon Bon Jovi's sister-in-law).

Writers Natalie Chaidez (“The Flight Attendant”) and Kwynn Perry (“The Burned Photo”) have taken on the task of writing the script for Rosetta. The project is set to revolve specifically around her journey to breaking musical boundaries, her struggle with her sexuality, and how she turned a wedding into the first-ever stadium concert. We cannot wait!

Zendaya as Ronnie Spector

The upcoming biopic Be My Baby tells the story of music legend Ronnie Spector by movie legends like Zendaya, Barry Jenkins, and A24. The movie is set to revolve around the singer’s relationship with her husband and convicted murderer Phil Spector.

Ronnie Spector is an iconic pop singer who defined a whole genre with her powerful voice and is often tagged as the “Bad girl of Rock and Roll”. Spector started out as the lead singer of the 1960s girl group The Ronettes, which are known for their hits like “Be my Baby”, “Baby, I Love You”, and “Walking in the Rain”.

In 1968, Ronnie Spector married music producer Phil Spector, who had previously signed The Ronettes to his label. The couple made headlines for their troubled relationship which was deeply abusive and controlling… and, of course, years later for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

Before her passing in 2022, Ronnie Spector acted as an executive producer on the film and hand-picked Zendaya to play her. Over the years, Zendaya has proven herself to be a household name in Hollywood. She started her career at only 14 on the Disney Channel show “Shake it Up” and took off with her critically-acclaimed performances in the "Euphoria" series (for whch she won 2 Emmys and a Golden Globe), the current Spider-Man franchise, the Dune movies, and the tennis romance Challengers (2024).

Be My Baby will be directed by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins, who is best known for his touching movies Moonlight (2016) and Mufasa: The Lion King (2024). The movie will be adapted from the 1990 memoir of the same name and will primarily focus on Spector’s marriage to Phil Sector.

For this movie, Barry Jenkins is partnering with A24 – a pairing that has proven to be perfect with their success in the Oscar-winning Moonlight. Also part of the Be My Baby team is writer Dave Kajganich (Bones and All) as well as producers Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Mark Itkin, Tom Shelly, and Zendaya, who, like Lizzo, is an actress and producer on her project.

We can't wait to see these iconic stars bring these other iconic stars back into the spotlight!