Lee Daniels In Talks To Helm Billie Holiday Biopic, Andra Day Being Eyed To Star
Lee Daniels' name still carries a lot of clout, even as the Oscar-nominated director takes his sweet time deciding what his next project will be. After earning tons of accolades forPreciousin 2009, Daniels made the jump to TV, co-creating the immensely popularEmpire.
But he hasn’t directed a feature film since 2013’sThe Butler, though his name has been attached to aTerms of Endearmentremake. Now the director is in talks to helm aBillie Holidaybiopic with singer-songwriterAndra Dayeyed to play the jazz icon.
Lee Daniels is in talks to directBillie, a biopic about the seminal jazz singer Billie Holiday, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
Daniels would direct a script bySuzan Lori-Parks, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her 2001 dramaTopdog/Underdog.
The legendary jazz singer, nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and music partner Lester Young, has been the subject of one biopic, already – 1972’sLady Sings the Blues. Diana Ross, an icon in her own right, played Billie Holiday in that movie, so any actress playing Holiday in the new biopic would have a heavy burden on her shoulders. Currently, singer-songwriter Andra Day is being eyed for the part, whileLakeith Stanfieldis under consideration for the male lead.
While it’s surprising that an icon like Holiday hasn’t had more feature film adaptations, her voice and songs have been featured in countless movies and TV shows — you’ve probably heard her soulful voice croon over scenes ofGrey’s AnatomyorThe Watchmen, or her profound performance of the gut-wrenching “Strange Fruit.”
Billieis bring produced byJoe RothandJeff Kirshenbaumand is not yet attached to a studio.
