After achieving ratings gold with ‘The New Edition Story’ earlier this year, BET are revisiting the movie arena – and this time it’s the life of group member Bobby Brown that’ll be under the spotlight.
Full story below…
According to Deadline, the network are officially pressing ahead with ‘The Bobby Brown Story’ – a project that’ll see actor Woody McClain reprise his role as R&B’s original “bad boy.”
Per the report, the two-part film will also reunite the key creative figures from the ‘New Edition’ venture. Most notable being writer Abdul Williams and executive producer Jesse Collins.
The flick promises to not shy away from Brown’s much publisized problems. However, it’s overarching theme will be about redemption and how he – by way of sobriety and new love – got his life back on track.
Covering a 30-year-span, the mini-movie will chronicle Brown’s rough beginnings, New Edition success, solo years, his “romance” with Janet Jackson, and his ill-fated marriage to the late Whitney Houston.
Set to air in Fall 2018, casting is reportedly under way for the other key figures in Brown’s personal and professional life – including Houston, Bobbi Kristina, Jackson, Teddy Riley, L.A. Reid, and Babyface.
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Hmm. We’re torn.
On the one hand, ‘The New Edition Story’ was executed so well that we’d gladly revisit that “world” – especially as it’s being pieced together by the team behind this year’s mini-movie.
We’re also elated for Woody, as he’s a great talent.
That said, is “Bobby Brown” (the man, the music, and the mayhem) as enticing or as revered as his group was? Because that was a huge part of the appeal of ‘The New Edition Story.’
For yours truly, there was always the hope that the same qualitative template would be applied to the narratives of other unrelated artists. Like, imagine a Mary J. Blige biopic – for example, in the same vein as New Edition’s.
Still, we’re willing to give this a chance. Who knows, perhaps there’s much more to the Bobby story than the masses know. We just hope that folk tune so as to facilitate the production of more of such projects.