Pop star Lizzo is set to play rock guitar pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Amazon MGM Studios' Rosetta – a project that is still in development.
“Inspired by true events, the film will capture a pivotal period in Tharpe’s life — one of groundbreaking innovation, defiant passion and secret love,” reports Deadline.
“As she shatters musical boundaries with her signature guitar sound, she must navigate societal constraints, conceal her love for another woman and ultimately transform a wedding into one of the most legendary concerts in history: the first stadium show.”
While there is no director attached as of yet, the movie will be produced by Lizzo, alongside Kevin Beisler, and Significant Productions’ Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker – with Natalie Chaidez and Kwynn Perry writing the screenplay.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, widely touted as the “Godmother of Rock and Roll,” gained popularity throughout the ’30s and ’40s with her gospel recordings, which fused spiritual lyrics with her unique brand of electric guitar.
In fact, her guitar playing directly influenced early rock and roll musicians, including Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley, as well as the development of British blues in the ’60s.
Meanwhile, Lizzo is a four-time Grammy winner whose previous acting credits include 2019's Hustlers. The biopic, alongside her recent single Still Bad and forthcoming fifth album, mark her return to the spotlight after former members of her dance troupe filed multiple sexual harassment lawsuits in 2023 – allegations the artist has vehemently denied.
On her recent comeback shows, Lizzo has been spied wielding a pink Suhr Classic JM and playing guitar on live versions of Juice – a move that now looks like it could be part of her preparations for playing Tharpe.
She even dropped a snippet of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit into her recent gig at New York's Irving Plaza (at 20:28).
The music biopic genre has been riding high over the past couple of years. Most recently, the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown received countless accolades – despite missing out on an Oscar – while stars Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro, who played Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, respectively, were praised for their portrayals and the lengths they went to in order to nail their guitar parts.
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