Foxx and Usher Aboard Dreamgirls
Source: Variety
May 12, 2005
DreamWorks has set Jamie Foxx and Usher to join Beyonce in Dreamgirls,
the Bill Condon-directed adaptation of the stage musical, says
Variety. Condon (Chicago) also wrote the script.
The trade says the studio is circling Eddie Murphy to play singer
James "Thunder" Early for the film, which begins production
in January in Los Angeles.
Foxx will play the role of Curtis Taylor Jr., the Svengali-like
manager who leads female singing group the Dreamettes to stardom
as the Dreams. The musical was the thinly veiled story of the
Supremes, and the model for Taylor was Berry Gordy.
Usher will play choreographer C.C. White. Murphy is being courted
to play a character that's one part James Brown, one part Marvin
Gaye -- a charismatic womanizer and R&B star who gives the
Dreamettes their first big break when he invites them to sing
backup for him.
Still to be cast are the remaining member of the Dreams. The filmmakers
will be conducting a nationwide search for Effie, the chubby girl
with an outsized voice. They will likely choose an unknown actress,
who'll get the chance to belt out the most memorable songs in
the musical.
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