One of the earliest influencers of Rock & Roll is getting a biopic based on her life and has a big name pop star set to portray her. Lizzo will play Sister Rosetta Tharpe in a musical biopic based on Tharpe’s life, an individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire.
The film, titled “Rosetta,” is currently in development for Amazon MGM Studios, and Lizzo is also producing the project alongside Kevin Beisler, as well as Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker for their banner Significant Productions. The film will be written by Natalie Chaidez (“The Flight Attendant,” “Queen of the South”) and Kwynn Perry (“Tigerbelles,” “The Burned Photo”). No director is attached.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe began her career in the ’30s with her gospel recordings and gained popularity by the ’40s, one of the first to blend gospel sounds with the electric guitar. But she became a true trailblazer who inspired countless rock legends, including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and many more. Dubbed the “Godmother of Rock & Roll,” she was among the first to use heavy distortion on her electric guitar and helped pave the way for the classic blues sound. She also famously toured with Muddy Waters in the ’60s across Europe, inspiring other guitarists like Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck. Rolling Stone named her the sixth best guitarist of all time.
The film specifically focuses on how Tharpe, born Rosetta Nubin, needed to conceal her love for another woman and ultimately hosted her wedding inside a baseball stadium in 1951 in front of 20,000 strangers, turning the occasion into effectively the first stadium concert. We’ll see if Sister Rosetta suddenly also learns how to play the flute just as Lizzo has become known for.
As an actress, Lizzo had a mini breakout in “Hustlers” back in 2019, and she also has appeared in episodes of “The Mandalorian” and “The Simpsons.” She’s already halfway to an EGOT, as in addition to four Grammys, she won an Emmy for her 2022 reality program “Watch Out For the Big Grrrls,” which also appeared on Amazon Prime Video. Lizzo has a new album coming out this year and recently released new singles “Still Bad” and “Love in Real Life.”
Lizzo is represented by UTA, Full Stop Management, and Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks.Natalie Chaidez is represented by CAA and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer et al. Kwynn Perry is represented by Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer et al.
Deadline first reported the news.
