LOS ANGELES (AP) — After many delays, the Nina Simone biopic starring Zoe Saldana and David Oyelowo will be simultaneously released in theaters, digital HD and video-on-demand next month.
Distributor RLJ Entertainment said Tuesday it will release “Nina” in all formats on April 22.
Saldana plays the Grammy-nominated singer and outspoken civil rights activist who struggled with depression and alcoholism after finding fame. Oyelowo plays her stalwart friend Clifton Henderson, who helped her return to her music.
The film’s release has been delayed several times. RLJ Entertainment originally announced “Nina” would open in theaters in December 2015.
The documentary “What Happened, Miss Simone?” directed by Liz Garbus, was nominated for an Academy Award this year.
Controversy surrounded the casting of Saldana, a Black Latina who is shades lighter that Simone. The trailer’s release was met with skepticism on social media, as the casting was when it was announced. Fans of Simone’s were disappointed that filmmakers didn’t find a darker-skinned actress who looked more like her, as her some of her struggles in the music industry were exacerbated by what she felt was the negative perception of her looks.
Nina Simone’s estate calls the movie “unauthorized” and responded to a tweet from Saldana with this:
What do you think? Should Saldana have played the role or let an actress be cast who looked more like Simone?
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Black love! Love yourself ZOE! Your ass is black no matter how many white men you want to screw!
I got a better perspective this morning while watching Roland M. Zoe is not black, but Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. Nina embraced her blackness and wore it proudly while “others” don’t want to be black until it benefits them. Zoe had to wear dark make-up and prosthetics to come close to what Nina looked like.
I see both sides of this diversity coin.
We’re calling for more diverse roles in HW but then we decide who should have what roles and then we choose depending on the actor. Idris played Nelson Mandala, he looked NOTHING like him, but the difference between these two roles is Idris did not change anything about his features to play the role and was accepted by blacks. But at least he is black. Are there great actors whose natural physical features resemble closely to that of Nina and Nelson, the answer is YES.
Then there’s the side of a fictional character vs. a real life person as in the case of Idris playing the role of James Bond. We want to call the shots on both sides of the coin. Is that fair? Don’t blame the actors blame the writers & casting directors.
Trash at its finest. I hope they lose every penny the used and it goes straight to dvd or netflix!! ha ha ha
Won’t watch it…………….period!
Absolutely won’t be watching that, Zoe does not even define herself as a black woman, Nina Simone would never have approved of that, its an insult to who she was as a proud black woman, with African features. Why did they not give the part to Loupita??
I hate when people are ashamed of their blackness like both of the leads in this project, yeah that David is the same as her, yet jump up to take the roles as its simply work and getting paid for them.
Then when asked about oppression, racism and the lack of opportunities, they keep sitting on the fence, opportunists.
I agree. What bothers me about so called black looking folks like this actress is that they being UNTIL it benefits them just like some biracial people. Also, Simone FAMILY did not want her play Ms. Nina and that should have been respected.
My keys are skipping. WHat I was saying was that “so called black looking folks like this actress deny being black UNTIL it benefits them just like some biracial people”. If you do not want to be black, that is fine but DO NOT TAKE anything or roles that requires a black person.
I agree ridiculous casting!!