B.B. King's estate has said that two new films about the late blues great are being planned following confusion over a recently-announced film with Wendell Pierce of The Wire in the lead role.
King's estate has confirmed that the film is not an official project and that they are making their own biopic about King, who passed away in 2015 aged 89.
The Estate of BB King has requested I clarify the film THE THRILL IS ON is not a biopic in the traditional sense. It is a dramatized version of a real-life friendship story in the spirit of the film ROUND MIDNIGHT. The friendship of 2 musicians, one being the King of the Blues. pic.twitter.com/d5eMQz5m9c
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) October 22, 2020
Earlier this month, Pierce revealed that he was starring as King in a new film called The Thrill Is On, but at the request of the guitarist and singer’s estate he has now clarified that the film will "not be a biopic in the traditional sense".
The Thrill Is On is reported to focus on King’s friendship with drummer Michael Zanetis.
Pierce has compared the film to Bertrand Tavernier’s acclaimed 1986 jazz film Round Midnight in which real-life jazz legend Dexter Gordon portrayed a fictional tenor sax player.
The chairman of King’s estate, Vassal Benford, has told Variety that they will be releasing their own, which begins pre-production in 2021.
"We want to be crystal clear that the film announced by Pierce is not a biopic, as there are several major players involved in the new B.B. King biopic and the estate does not want there to be any confusion as to the nature of each separate project," Benford said.
"One is a docudrama, and the other is the official B.B. King biopic approved by corporate management of the B.B. King estate and trust as a part of B.B. King's legacy initiative."
Benford added that the estate had considered Pierce for the role but that several other actors are in the running for the lead role, including Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson.
