BET Announces Plans For ‘The Bobby Brown Story’ Following Popularity Of 2016 New Edition Biopic
The once self-professed “bad boy of R&B,” singer Bobby Brown, will reportedly see his name in lights again, thanks to the popularity of the 2016 BET mini-series, The New Edition Story.
Writers from The Wrap explain that a spin-off project based on the life of Brown, 48, was confirmed by network officials during the BET 2017-2018 up-fronts on Tuesday, and will similarly be written and produced by the team of filmmakers who worked on the music group’s three-part pop epic that aired in late January to both rave reviews and the highest ratings for a cable-originated biopic in all of television history.
A description of the upcoming mini-series, aptly titled The Bobby Brown Story, boasts a deeper look into the life and times of the troubled “My Prerogative” and “Humpin’ Around” star from his New Edition days until now.
“With a career that spans from founding the R&B super group New Edition to a successful solo run,” the information packet reads, “Bobby Brown’s life truly epitomizes the meaning of sex, drugs, and rock & roll.”
“Hailed as the King of R&B, Bobby Brown is [indisputably] one of the genre’s original ‘bad boys.’ His hits may have kept him at the top of the charts, but his antics kept him on the front page. Written by Abdul Williams (The New Edition Story, Lottery Ticket), The Bobby Brown Story is executive produced by Jesse Collins (The New Edition Story, Real Husbands of Hollywood) for JCE Films, a division of Jesse Collins Entertainment.”
It stands to reason that Brown himself will also have a hand in the retelling of his life story, as BET previously hired him and the remaining New Edition alums — Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant, Michael Bivins, and Ricky Bell — on as executive producers for The New Edition Story, as Billboard noted, but no such association has been confirmed as of yet.
Likewise, names related to potential cast members of The Bobby Brown Story, including the seemingly obvious choices of actors including Woody McClain, who portrayed the adult-aged Brown in The New Edition Story, also to exceptional reviews, and Tyler Marcel Williams, who played young Bobby, have not been revealed publicly.
In an interview to promote the BET movie event in January, Bobby warmly approved of the performers’ take of his mannerisms and overall persona for the “story.”
“[I was hoping BET] would pick the right [people] to play me,” he expressed to Source Magazine’s Angela Wilson, “and they did. They picked two great, great actors. Tyler, the little boy, is amazing and Woody, the great, is also amazing.”
Bobby was singing similar praises one month previous to the Source sit-down, when he relayed how moved he was by the two actors’ performances following his first screening of The New Edition Story.
“From what [I’ve seen], I’m amazed,” Brown beamed, as Billboard transcribed.
“These talented young guys did a great job at being us as young kids and then brought it all the way home. Chris [Robinson, the film’s director] brought everything out of all these actors to make it special. I was sitting in the chair over here and got a little crying on; watching and being alive to be able to see what my life was and has become and where my life is going from this point on? It’s special, man. These kids put their hearts and souls into this, just like we put our hearts and souls into our lives.”
Along with The Bobby Brown Story, viewers of BET can also expect to see the return of the formerly aired by VHI Hit the Floor, which switches over to BET after being dropped by the previous network earlier this year (BET and VH1 are both housed underneath the Viacom Entertainment banner), and another film journey into the history of Death Row Records, the controversial former label home of the late Tupac Shakur, that was founded by Suge Knight.
An air date for The Bobby Brown Story was not given at press time.
[Featured Image by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images]
