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Wendell Pierce to star as "The King of the Blues' B.B. King in upcoming biopic

RayCornelius.com
Wendell Pierce

Selma actor Wendell Pierce is gearing up to play "The King of the Blues" B.B. King for an upcoming biopic.

The versatile star of television and film revealed the big news via social media this week stating: "We are official. Preparation has begun on a film where I will be honored to play the great, BB King. Humbled."  Pierce would later tweet, "I promised BB King before he died, I will honor him and his creative genius. An American Icon."

According to Shadow & Act, the film is titled The Thrill is On and will focus on King's friendship with musician Michael Zanetis. The script will also be written by Zanetis and Melora Donoghue. 

B.B. King, born Riley B. King, was a singer, songwriter, producer, and blues music pioneer.  He was best known for his live performances on his electrc guitar affectionately known as "Lucille" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. It was there that he was crowned  "The King of the Blues. " He died on May 14, 2015 at the age of 89.

Pierce is best known for his roles on such TV dramas as The Wire and Treme along with such classic black cinema like A Rage in Harlem, Malcolm X, Get on the Bus, Ray, and Waiting to Exhale. In 2016, He portrayed Justice Clarence Thomas opposite Kerry Washington as Anita Hill in HBO's Confirmation

Ray Cornelius is one of Atlanta’s newest entertainment writers and media personalities. His arts and entertainment website, www.raycornelius.com spotlights the latest in “positive” African-American celebrity news and was established in 2012. Since that time Cornelius has covered a myriad of red carpet premieres, award shows and Atlanta-based films including Tyler Perry’s Temptation, The BronzeLens Film Festival, The Trumpet Awards, and The Steve Harvey’s Neighborhood Awards just to name a few. He has also interviewed a who’s who list of today’s top singers, actors and reality stars. With nearly 20 years of media experience, Cornelius has also worked as an associate producer for the Emmy-winning public affairs program, ATL Insider and with such award shows as The Soul Train Awards, The Trumpet Awards and BET Hip-Hop Awards.