Get ready to either be mad or grateful casting directors have finally gotten it right, but word around Shadow and Act is Zoe Saldana is slated to play Eartha Kitt in an upcoming biopic on the entertainer’s life.
Apparently, a lot of sites skipped over the news reported by the Huffington Post, MSN Entertainment, and other celebrity news sites earlier this month, but it seems an Eartha Kitt biopic is in the works and discussions concerning Zoe playing the lead role are definitely being had. According to MSN:
The movie is expected to depict Kitt’s rise to fame and obstacles including the time when she suffered a substantial professional setback in 1960s. She opposed the war in Vietnam and reportedly made Lady Bird Johnson burst into tears with her criticisms during a White House luncheon.
The plan to bring Kitt’s story to the big screen is still in early development. No director is announced for the project.
The natural question, after hearing Zoe’s been tied to another biopic, is whether folks will take issue with this casting choice as they did with the Nina Simone biopic in which Miss Saldana played the singer-songwriter. The main problem many had with that casting was that Zoe is Latina, fair skin, and looks nothing like Nina Simone in the slightest bit (even with prosthetic teeth, dark makeup, and an afro) and has no musical skills to speak of. With Eartha Kitt, though, the physical resemblance is undeniable. If Zoe proves to have the acting chops to portray such a vivacious character, this might actually be a great move for her career and a moving cinematic piece. What do you think?
