Initially, Disney’s starlet Zendaya Coleman, 17, won the role of the R&B darling, who died in a 2001 plane crash at 22. However, due to growing concerns by the family and public criticism, the actress stepped down from the role, which has since been given to Nickelodeon star Alexandra Shipp.
Controversy also reared its head in the much-delayed Nina Simone biopic, as the decision behind getting actress Zoe Saldana to play the icon was met with harsh backlash from fans, and ended up creating the snide Twitter hashtag #blackbiopics. A film on Midnight Rider, a tale about the rocker Gregg Allman, was green-lit and ready to go before a fatal train accident killed camera assistant Sarah Jones earlier this year. The film’s lead, William Hurt, wound up dropping out in April.
Just as the aforesaid Madden curse casted a black cloud over the subjects enshrined in video games over the years, a similar curse has been haunting a lot of these biographical films. Though Jimi Hendrix’ biopic starring Andre 3000, titled All Is By My Side, is due out in theaters this year, the rock icon’s Experience Hendrix LLC declined to actually license any of his music.