BB King Biopic Will Star Wendell Pierce

We are official. Preparation has begun on a film where I will be honored to play the great, BB King. Humbled.

So read the tweet from actor Wendell Pierce on Monday. The long dormant biopic The Thrill is On was originally titled B.B. King and I when the project was first announced in 2011. The film portrays the relationship between BB King and friend Michael Zanetis, who assisted in getting King his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Pierce was slated to play King even then, although a string of law suits halted production. The project was reborn as early as 2018 but later just vaporized.

The revived film project is expected to be the same one from 2011, with Zanetis producing the movie and co-writing the script with Melora Donoghue. “We’re proud to have an actor of Wendell’s caliber attached to portray this beloved icon,” Zanetis said in a statement. “His dedication to his craft and love of music will combine in what I believe will be a career defining performance.”

Pierce is best known for his performances in The Wire, and HBO’s Treme, in the latter of which he learned to play trombone for the part. Beginning in 2016 Pierce also began appearing on several albums recorded in his hometown of New Orleans, including those by Kermit Ruffins, Irvin Mayfield, Wynton Marsalis, and others.

King, who died in 2015 at the age of 89, spent over 70 years as a professional blues musician, recording 43 albums, winning 15 GRAMMY awards, and was among the first class inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. His honorary title of “King of the Blues” was well earned.

In a later tweet Pierce added:

I promised BB King before he died, I will honor him and his creative genius. An American Icon.

The Thrill is On

Wendell Pierce Twitter

BB King

*Feature image Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP

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