Queen Latifah to star in and executive produce Bessie Smith film for HBO
buzzz worthy. . . QUEEN LATIFAH STARS IN HBO FILMS’ BESSIE , THE STORY OF ICONIC BLUES SINGER BESSIE SMITH, DEBUTING THIS SPRING -------- Directed By Dee Rees; Screenplay By Dee Rees And Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois; Story By Dee Rees And Horton Foote -------- Cast Includes Michael Kenneth Williams, Khandi Alexander, Mike Epps, Tika Sumpter, Tory Kittles, Oliver Platt, Bryan Greenberg, With Charles S. Dutton And Mo’Nique -------- O scar ® nominee Queen Latifah (“Chicago”) stars as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO Films drama BESSIE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Dee Rees (“Pariah”) from a screenplay by Rees and Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois. With a story by Rees and Horton Foote, the film focuses on Smith’s transformation from a struggling young singer into “The Empress of the Blues,” one of the most successful r...