Lizzo is tasked with bringing the story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe to life in a pending biopic. Exclusively reported by Deadline, the Grammy-winning musician will play the iconic Rock ‘N Roll pioneer in the Rosetta film for Amazon MGM Studios.
A director has not been named for the project currently in development with Lizzo, Kevin Beisler, Significant Productions’ Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Forest Whitaker producing. Natalie Chaidez and Kwynn Perry are set to write the screenplay.
“Black people made rock n roll yeaaaah,” exclaimed the 36-year-old as she shared the announcement on social media with musical note emojis.
Lizzo at Lizzo In Real Life at The Wiltern on March 12, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images
The news comes as Lizzo makes her return to music after a brief hiatus. Earlier this month, the Houston-raised artist released her new single, “Still Bad,” her second release this year following last month’s “Love In Real Life.” Both songs are her first drops since 2023’s “Special.”
“Saying my brand of ‘poptimism’ doesn’t work in a ‘post Covid world‘ is a lazy take.. As if I didn’t release ‘About Damn Time’ post-pandemic,” explained the singer to online critics of her fresh sound.
“I think seeing and hearing a black woman make real music with radical joy triggers miserable people… but I follow in the footsteps of Janet, of Funkadelic, of Earth Wind and Fire… nobody’s doing it like me for Us. And I stand on that.”
In December 2024, Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha granted a partial motion to dismiss several claims alleging racial and sexual harassment by members of Lizzo’s management team in a lawsuit filed by Asha Daniels, an ex-employee of Lizzo’s Big Grrrl Big Tour company.
In the decision, the judge ruled that US labor laws do not apply because Daniels worked for Lizzo while on tour in Europe.
“I was literally living in my dream, and then the tour ended, and three ex-dancers just completely, like, blindsided me with a lawsuit,” shared the “Truth Hurts” performer later that month. “I liked them and appreciated them as dancers, respected them as dancers. So I was like, what? But then I heard all the other things like sexual harassment, and I was like, they’re trying well, I don’t know what they’re trying to do, but these are the types of things that the media can turn into something that it’s not.”
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