Hollywood, CA — Award-winning actress Angela Bassett will soon make her directorial debut with a Lifetime original movie based on the life and career of singer Whitney Houston.
It has not yet been revealed who will play Whitney Houston, but it is thought to be Bassett herself.
However, Houston’s family is not in agreement with the film. According to TMZ, they are considering a lawsuit to stop the move from being produced and aired. TMZ reports: “We’re told the family has already expressed displeasure to Lifetime and made it clear they weren’t on board with a TV movie. Sources close to the Houston family tell us the estate is planning its own movie for the big screen.”
But Bassett, via a statement to the press, commented, “I have such regard for both Whitney’s and Bobby’s amazing talents and accomplishments; and I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story. Their humanity and bond fascinates us all. I’m beyond excited to have this opportunity to go behind the camera and into their world.”
And this is not the first collaboration between Bassett and Lifetime. They also collaborated on last year’s original movie “Betty & Coretta” starring Mary J. Blige, Malik Yoba, Lindsay Owen Pierre, and Bassett herself. That film told the stories of Coretta Scott King and Dr. Betty Shabazz, the wives of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, who both formed a life-long friendship after their husbands were killed.
It seems only time will tell if the movie will ever make it on screen.