For years there has been talk of a New Edition biopic and even as recently as a few months ago we were telling you about the biopic planned by an independent producer who even had a trailer and everything completed.
Well now it appears as though the official NE story has been green lit but not for the big screen. “Variety” has reported there will be a three-night miniseries biopic which is being produced by all of the members except Bobby Brown. Via Variety:
Five of the group’s members, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, will reunite for the three-night miniseries premiering in 2016. All five will co-produce the untitled project.
New Edition founding member Bobby Brown was not mentioned in the release announcing the biopic on Monday. The group has broken up reunited several times since its inception in 1978. Brown left their tour early when the the six members rebanded last year.
Jesse Collins Entertainment is executive producing the original miniseries based on the iconic music group. This will mark BET’s first scripted music-focused TV movie.
New Edition’s longtime manager Brooke Payne will also serve as a co-producer. Abdul Williams (“Lottery Ticket”) wrote the script. A director has not yet been selected for the film.
“From our beginning in the Orchard Park Projects in Boston to Hollywood and everything in between, just like The Temptations and the Jackson 5, we are ready to retrace our footsteps and show everyone how we got here,” New Edition said in a press release.
Collins (“Real Husbands of Hollywood”) said New Edition’s “music is woven into the fabric of our culture.”
“When I brought the idea to BET years ago, I wanted to create a film that would tell the story of how New Edition emerged into one of the most important groups of its generation,” he said.
