According to Vibe magazine, Keke Palmer has been cast to play Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Drew Sidora has been cast as Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, in VH1's in-development biopic on pop/hip hop/R&B group TLC, which the network announced, last November, with shooting to begin next month.
Palmer and Sidora join the Niatia Kirkland – aka Lil' Mama – who'll be playing the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.
Likely the least known of the trio, Drew Sidora is an actress/singer known for her recurring role on That's So Raven, and her parts in movies like Step Up, Never Die Alone, White Chicks, Wild Hogs and others.
Seemingly in response to Twitter comments about her not looking anything like Chilli, Keke Palmer took to the social media site this afternoon in defense of her casting, stating, verbatim:
People kill me, I don't remember Angela Bassett looking ANYTHING like Tina Turner. And she RIPPED that role;
People need to realize hat movies aren't casted by people looking like who they're playing. They're casted by who can do the role.
I don't know about you, but I would much rather see a movie that is well acted, then a movie with a bunch of look a like's.
Cause Ben Affleck isn't even Hispanic, but the man he played in Argo IS.
I shouldn't play the part because my baby hair isn't the perfect texture?. Goodnight Twitter, goodnight.
Okay, I just got snappy lol now I really need to get off this negativity warp. I spoke my mind! God is good!
Those tweets were all posted within a 30-minute-span.
Screenwriter Kate Lanier (What’s Love Got To Do With It, Set it Off, Beauty Shop) penned the screenplay for the TLC film, which is currently untitled (Untitled TLC Biopic), which both Chilli and T-Boz have signed on to consult and executive producer, along with Bill Diggins and Maggie Malina, as well as Alexander Motlagh for Pop Films.
The film will tell the story of the hip musical trio who rose to fame in 1991 when they signed to LaFace Records, releasing their multi-platinum debut. Their 1994 follow-up, CrazySexyCool, sold over 22 million copies, and Fanmail sold over 10 million copies in 1999. Of course, it wasn't all peachy; Bankruptcy, illness, group fights, and,death, were just some of the group's challenges.
Jeff Olde and Jill Holmes are serving as executive producers for VH1, for what will be the first in a series of scripted music-focused feature tele-pics that will air on VH1.
