Bria Danielle Singleton has been cast as Bobbi Kristina Brown in the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
The teenage Thunder Force actress is part of the film’s supporting cast, The Wrap reported Thursday.
Bobbi Kristina was the only child of Houston and Bobby Brown. She grew up in the public eye and appeared on the reality show Being Bobby Brown.
After reaching adulthood, she had a tumultuous relationship with boyfriend Nick Gordon.
The reality TV personality was found face down in a bathtub at the home she shared with Gordon in Alpharetta, Georgia on Jan. 31, 2015. She had drugs in her system and spent six months in a coma before she died at age 22 in July 2015, according to published reports.
Jimmie Fails, who will play Eddie Murphy has also joined the cast. Details on Fails’ role haven’t been released yet, but the biopic might touch on his friendship with Houston, which some allege developed into a lengthy relationship.
According to a book published in 2019 by the “I Have Nothing” artist’s friend Robyn Crawford, Murphy was at first elusive with Houston but then tried to call off the wedding of the Grammy-winning singer to Bobby Brown.
British actress Naomi Ackie was chosen last year to portray Houston in the Sony TriStar film. Kasi Lemmons (Harriet) is directing from a script written by Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten.
The movie will be executive produced by Houston’s sister-in-law and longtime manager Pat Houston on behalf of the Houston estate, along with music mogul Clive Davis.
Other executive producers include McCarten via his Muse of Fire Productions, Larry Mestel for Primary Wave Music, which is a partner of the Whitney Houston estate, Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri via Compelling Pictures, Matt Jackson of Jackson Pictures, and Molly Smith and Trent and Thad Luckinbill for Black Label Media.
The film is expected to debut in December of next year, instead of Thanksgiving, after the release was delayed.
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