Kieran, here. It was announced today that a biopic of ballerina Misty Copeland is currently in the works at New Line Cinema. Based on Copeland's own memoir "Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina," the film will chart Copeland's rise to fame as the first black principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, despite a delayed beginning--she didn't start taking ballet until age 13, which is extremely late compared to other dancers. The project will be penned by Gregory Allen Howard, who scripted Remember the Titans and the upcoming theatrical Harriet Tubman biopic (not the Viola Davis project, though Nathaniel was correct in wishing that those projects would merge). No director is attached to the project as of yet.
News of this project means an opportunity for a black actress to take center stage (no pun intended) in a major motion picture, which shouldn't be a rare occasion but feels like it in the current cinematic landscape. [More...]
In the wake of two years in a row of #Oscarssowhite controversy, projects like these are both refreshing and also carry an inordinate amount of pressure on their shoulders. When it's only one of a few films or television show centering a certain group of people (black women, in this case) the push for these projects to be all things to all people in that group can sometimes feel unfair. Of course, the answer is more projects like these to eliminate the burden of universal representation. But, for today at least, let's set cynicism aside and celebrate that this story (an African-American centered biopic that's also conetmporary, which also feels rare) is on the docket and get into the fun business of casting speculation, shall we?
It's unclear yet how this project will be cast. Will dancing ability be taken into consideration? Will producers and casting directors attempt to snag a rising star or anoint an unknown? There are several variables at play. If they're looking for a dancer, an unknown seems like the best bet. However, as we saw with Black Swan, an accomplished ballerina need not portray an accomplished ballerina, despite whatever minor complaints some enmeshed in the world of dance may have levied against Natalie Portman.
Looking at Misty Copeland, Gugu Mbatha-Raw whose star seems to be continuing its meteoric rise since the one-two punch of Belle and Beyond the Lights in 2014 immediately comes to mind as an obvious and worthy choice. So much so that I'd be shocked if she wasn't atop the shortlist to play the ballerina.
If the casting directors insist on casting an American actress to play Copeland, Tessa Thompson, also on the rise after Selma, Dear White People and especially last year's Creed is certainly worth considering. Despite very different acting styles, Thompson and Mbatha-Raw (though Mbatha-Raw moreso) both physically fit the bill to play the very petite Misty Copeland. Both actresses also seem similarly positioned for a front-and-center mainstream hit that will hopefully catapult them into true superstardom to match their talent.
Going off-center just a bit, I'd also like to mention Jurnee Smollett, known for roles on TV's "True Blood," "Friday Night Lights" and most recently a starring role on the acclaimed slavery series "Underground." If you're unfamiliar, watch her in...just about anything, actually because she's always captivating and hard to take your eyes off of. Though there's far less of a physical resemblance to Copeland, she's often exactly where any of her television projects want to be and I've long wished for role to switch her over to movie stardom because she's really got the chops to back it up.
Are you excited for the project or are you saddled with biopic fatique? Who would you like to see step into the role of Misty Copeland?