Queen Latifah will be starring in the upcoming Bessie Smith biopic for HBO, it has been revealed.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 44-year-old rapper will also executive produce the project via her Flavor Unit Entertainment banner and the biopic will be written and directed by Dee Rees.
The film is based on Smith's life story and Bessie, author Chris Albertson's biography of the iconic singer will focus on the challenges faced and overcome by her as she goes on to becomes one of the acclaimed artists of the 1920s and '30s, and be known as the 'Empress of the Blues'.