DID U KNOW? 2-10-18 Entertainment News
Did U Know? 2-10-18 Entertainment News Updates…Kevin Hart, Jennifer Hudson, Jason George, Marsai Martin, Zendaya, Gucci Mane, Brandon Micheal Hall and others are trending this week. Did U Know? is trending entertainment news about the latest movies, music, TV shows and your favorite celebrities that happened during week ending Feb. 10, 2018.
Aretha Franklin Chooses Jennifer Hudson To Star In MGM Queen Of Soul Film Biopic
Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party is always the hottest ticket before the Grammy Awards. Tonight he dropped an exceptional surprise. Davis tonight introduced Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson to sing a couple songs, and then told the audience that Hudson will be playing Aretha Franklin in an upcoming biopic about the life of the Queen of Soul. Hudson was in fact hand picked by Franklin to play the role. It was appropriate that Davis introduce all this, since he has such a long professional relationship with Franklin. The party began with performances by Barry Manilow, Luis Fonsi, Ben Platt, Alicia Keys, Khalid and Logic. Hudson was the last singer to perform. Hudson sang Franklin classics Think, and Respect as part of her performance. Hudson seems one of the few actresses with the vocal range to do justice to Franklin’s soaring classics. MGM will move quickly to set a filmmaker and a screenwriter.
Marsai Martin To Star In, Executive Produce Her Studio Film Debut, ‘Little’
black-ish star Marsai Martin’s breakout role is here. She has been tapped to lead the upcoming film, Little, which is from Will Packer and Kenya Barris. The film “centers on a woman who gets the chance to relive the carefree life as her younger self (Martin), when the pressures of adulthood become too much.” Martin’s not just starring in the film either. She came up with the script idea and will executive produce as well. Martin has starred in black-ish for all four seasons so far.
Zendaya To Star In Crime Thriller ‘Finest Kind’ With Jake Gyllenhaal And Ansel Elgort
Zendaya, along with Jake Gyllenhall and Ansel Elgort have been cast to star in an upcoming crime thriller, Finest Kind. Finest Kind is a crime thriller about two brothers (Gyllenhaal and Elgort) who strike a dangerous deal with a crime syndicate that draws them into the Boston underworld. As pressures mount, sacrifices must be made and bonds—between brother and brother and between father and sons–put to the test. Former Disney star Zendaya has made a successful transition into a film career, starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming as well as the Oscar contender The Greatest Showman. She’s set to star in the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel as well as the thriller A White Lie, on Anita Hemmings, the black woman who passed as white to get into Vassar College.
Gucci Mane, Considered Father of Trap Music, Has Biopic In Works
Gucci Mane is the next to get a biopic treatment. And no, we aren’t talking like a BET or VH1 television movie either. Paramount, alongside actor/director Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment (the folks behind Empire, Friday Night Lights, the James Brown biopic Get On Up and Eminem’s 8 Mile) are teaming up for a film adaptation of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane. The studio has the life rights to the rapper (whose real name is Radric Davis), as well as the rights to his biography. Gucci Mane is credited as the pioneer of trap music. He has released 12 studio albums and 72 mixtapes. His book, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane, which was released last year, discussed his struggle with addition, growing up, selling drugs, gang violence and more. Mane starred in the 2012 film, Spring Breakers, with James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens.
Kevin Hart Animated Comedy, ‘Lil Kev,’ Based On His Childhood, Is In Development At Fox
Kevin Hart has set up an animated comedy series at Fox. Hart will voice the comedy with Wanda Sykes, Keith Robertson, Gerald “Slink” Johnson and Deon Cole. This is a part of Fox’s attempt to put out new animated efforts. The description per Deadline, who broke the news: “Lil Kev is the story of a 12-year-old, pint-sized, optimistic, highly imaginative kid who navigates growing up in the crime filled inner-city of North Philly with the help and sometimes hindrance of his strong, quick-tempered mother, drug addicted father, pessimistic older brother, ex-con uncle and wise-ass talking dog.” On the series, Fox’s new entertainment president Michael Thorn said, “It’s About Kevin Hart’s experiences growing up and how his relationship with his mother and his community led to his optimistic, positive outlook despite some of the challenges and circumstances that he grew up with.”
‘The Mayor’ Star Brandon Micheal Hall Tapped As Lead in CBS Pilot, ‘God Befriended Me’
The Mayor‘s Brandon Micheal Hall has been tapped as the lead for CBS’s potential procedural, God Befriended Me. Its description: “God Befriended Me is described as a humorous, uplifting series, which explores questions of faith, existence, and science. It centers on Miles (Hall), an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he is “friended” by God on Facebook. Unwittingly, he becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him.” A relative newcomer, Hall earned rave reviews headlining The Mayor at ABC, which despite getting critical acclaim, is virtually canceled at the Mouse House. If ordered to series, this could make Hall one of only two black male leads on the network in many years, with the first being Jermaine Fowler on Superior Donuts. However, due to the recent flack CBS has gotten for diversity, and their recent commitment to change for the better, this may be a movement for more diverse leads at the network.
Watch The Full-Length Trailer For ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Spinoff, ‘Station 19’
The first trailer for the Grey’s Anatomy spinoff, Station 19 has premiered. The series has three stars — Jason George (coming over from Grey’s Anatomy), Barrett Doss and Okieriete Onaodowan. The latest series from the executive producers of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder follows a group of heroic firefighters at Seattle Fire Station 19 – from captain to newest recruit – as they risk their lives and hearts both in the line of duty and off the clock. These brave men and women are like family, literally and figuratively, and together they put their own lives in jeopardy as first responders to save the lives of others. It debuts Thursday, March 22 at 9 pm.