Tyrese Gibson is set to use some of his R&B roots for a new role. It has been announced that singer/actor has been cast as Teddy Pendergrass in a new biopic about the prolific R&B soul singer.
Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired the life rights of the iconic Philadelphia-born R&B singer-songwriter and Donald De Line (Ready Player One) will produce via his De Line Pictures studio banner, along with Lee Daniels (Empire, The Butler, Precious), and Gibson via his Voltron Pictures. The studio has also tapped Little Marvin (creator of Amazon’s upcoming event series Them) to write the screenplay. Pendergrass’ widow, Joan Pendergrass, is an executive producer.
In the early 1970s, Pendergrass rose to fame as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes before skyrocketing to stardom as a solo artist, releasing four consecutive platinum albums between 1977-1981 (then a record for an African-American R&B artist). His work included numerous hits including his No. 1-selling R&B single “Close the Door.”
Pendergrass’ life would forever change on March 18, 1982. While driving his Rolls Royce, Pendergrass lost control on Lincoln Drive in the East Falls section of Philadelphia, hitting a guard rail, crossing into opposing traffic and careening into two trees. He suffered a spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down. The singer was suicidal after the accident and he would struggle to come back from the tragedy with the help of an extraordinary psychiatrist — himself a paraplegic — to learn how to sing all over again with the help of a specialist. Three years later, on July 13, 1985, Pendergrass would make an emotional return to the stage at the historic Live Aid Concert at Wembley Stadium in London in front of 100,000 people and over 1.5 billion television viewers.
Tyrese Gibson had this say about taking on the iconic role:
“I am honored to take this journey… this is the role that I feel I was born to play. Teddy Pendergrass embraced me and before he passed put the responsibility on my shoulders to tell his story. Being here in this time and in this space and moment with Lee Daniels, Donald De Line, Little Marvin and Warner Bros is an answered prayer. Teddy, I just hope we make you, your wife and family proud… Here we go!!”
Gibson, a multi-Grammy-nominated singer, is currently shooting Black & Blue for Sony Screen Gems and will soon begin shooting Fast and the Furious 9. Gibson also recently recurred on Daniels’ Fox series Star.
