BET Networks has announced the cast for their New Edition biopic: New Edition: The Movie.
Bryshere Y. Gray (Empire), Elijah Kelley (The Butler, The Wiz Live!), Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Luke James, Keith Powers (Straight Outta Compton) and new comers Algee Smith and Woody McClain have joined the cast of the original miniseries based on the iconic music group New Edition.
Acclaimed director Chris Robinson (ATL) has signed on as director with Brooke Payne, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant and Bobby Brown signed on as co-producers for the film. Written by Abdul Williams (Lottery Ticket) the three-night miniseries event is scheduled to premiere on BET in 2017 with principal photography starting in Los Angeles in May 2016.
Bryshere Y. Gray will play Michael Bivins as an adult and Dante Hoagland will play Michael as a child.
Elijah Kelley will play Ricky Bell as an adult and Caleb McLaughlin will play Ricky as a child.
Luke James will play Johnny Gill.
Algee Smith will play Ralph Tresvant as an adult and Jahi Winston will play Ralph as a child.
Keith Powers will play Ronnie DeVoe as an adult and Myles Truitt will play Ronnie as a child.
Woody McClain will play Bobby Brown as an adult and Tyler Williams will play Bobby as a child.
New Edition laid the foundation for how modern-day boy bands look, feel, and sound. Boyz II Men, N’SYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and New Kids On The Block all took their cues from Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny. This 3-part miniseries follows the group from their humble beginnings as kids in Boston to global megastardom – weathering the highs and lows of controversy, personnel changes, and the ultimate cost of fame.
New Edition: The Movie is executive produced by Jesse Collins (Real Husbands of Hollywood) for JCE Films, a division of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
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