As I said in a post last night, regarding director Angela Bassett’s casting choices for her upcoming directorial debut, the Lifetime Original Movie “Whitney Houston” (tentative title) – expect the unexpected, given who Bassett has cast thus far. 

Almost no one thought of Yaya DaCosta Alafia as Whitney, but many were able to *see* her in the role after her casting was made official.

And I don’t believe Yolonda Ross’ name was on anyone’s lips when considering what actress would play Whitney Houston’s longtime good friend and assistant, who was also rumored to be her lesbian lover – Robyn Crawford.

Bassett pleasantly surprises us again today with her choice of actor to play the other half of that above very public relationship – Mr. Bobby Brown. 

Arlen Escarpeta has joined the cast of the telepic, as Brown, in a film that will will chronicle the headline-making partnership between the iconic singer, actress, producer and model, and singer, songwriter Bobby Brown – from the time they first met at the very height of their celebrity, to their courtship and tumultuous marriage.

Who is Arlen Escarpeta, some of you might be wondering? You might recognize the 33-year-old Belizean actor for his work in feature films like “Final Destination 5” (2011), “Friday the 13th” (2009) and, most recently, “Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013).

His screen resume goes back to the year 2000, and is full of mostly TV work, with his longest stint being on (as a regular) all 3 seasons of the NBC drama series “American Dreams,” which ran from 2002 to 2005.

Up next, he can be seen on the big screen in the Warner Bros disaster movie “Into the Storm,” which will be in theaters in August.