After being attached to the film that was to be about the life of singer Nina Simone, word on the street is that Mary J. Blige, who was long attached to the project is out due to funding issues and has been replaced by actress Zoe Saldana (Columbiana, Star Trek). Now that the financial aspect of the movie has been resolved, filming is scheduled to begin on October 16th in Los Angeles.
Also when the film, titled Nina gets rolling, the late singer's daughter Lisa Celeste Stroud opened up for the first time about the film and says it will detail her relationship with her longtime manager Clifton Henderson and revealed that the late and iconic singer's former nurse and manager was gay.
Here's what Lisa had to say about the project on her Facebook page:
When the announcement initially hit the press with MJ Blige cast as Nina (about 6 yrs ago) I heard it along with everyone else. The story was written as a love story between my mother and her former nurse, Clifton Henderson and primarily takes place during the last 8 years of her life. Please note, this project is unauthorized. The Nina Simone Estate was never asked permission nor invited to participate. ...
Clifton Henderson was gay. He was not attracted to women. So, the truth is...Nina Simone and Clifton Henderson NEVER had a relationship other than a business one. Please correct me, but isn't a biopic the story of one's life? ...
For all she endured while here and all of the lives she has touched, she DESERVES to be remembered for who she truly was; not some made up love story from a former nurse/manager (now deceased) who sold his life rights because of his relationship to Nina Simone.
Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born in North Carolina in 1931. She later adopted the stage name "Nina Simone" and rose to international acclaim as a singer-songwriter in the 1950s. Simone later became heavily involved in the civil rights movement in the late 1960s and early 1960s. She died in France in 2003. Her music has transcended boundaries of jazz, gospel and soul music and has inspired many artists, including Blige, Talib Kweli, Common, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, and the list goes on. Lisa Stroud is the daughter of Andy Stroud, who was married to Nina Simone from 1961 to 1970. Stroud was also the singer's manager during the civil rights era.
Nina was written and will be directed by Cynthia Mort (The Brave One), and will also star David Oyelowo as Clifton. Personally I thought someone like Viola Davis or Naomie Harris would have been a better suit to play Nina, but I'm not casting the film so what can I say. I would think that casting folks would hire a dark-skinned woman who didn't have a thin nose and good hair to do Nina justice. I'll wait for the movie to be in the can to give my full critique.
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