It’s full steam ahead on the Billie Holiday film from Lee Daniels. The Empire creator is directing and producing the project, titled The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the script for it.
Alongside the previously-announced Andra Day, who will star as Holiday, Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund and Natasha Lyonne have come aboard the film. It is assumed that Rhodes has replaced Lakeith Stanfield, who was originally attached to the project.
Deadline, who broke the latest developments of the film, says this: The pic follows Holiday during her career as she is targeted by the Federal Department of Narcotics with an undercover sting operation led by Black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. The pic will intimately examine Holiday’s struggles with addiction, fame and heartbreaking love.
The film is inspired by the book, Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari.
“It is an extraordinary responsibility to tell the story of the iconic Billie Holiday. Her story is very personal to me and I hope to do justice when bringing to light this profound and complicated soul — a great artist and an unsung civil rights warrior,” said Daniels in a statement.
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