John Boyega is set to play Otis Redding in a new film telling the story of the soul singer’s decade-long relationship.
Otis & Zelma will see the Star Wars and Attack the Block actor play the tragic star with the Till breakout Danielle Deadwyler playing his wife, Zelma.
The drama will follow the success of Redding, whose career included hits such as (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay and These Arms of Mine before his death in a 1967 plane crash at the age of 26.
According to Variety, the official description claims the film “celebrates the 10 short years Otis and Zelma had together, and their eternal love story after his passing”. The film comes with the full support of the estate.
After the singer’s death, his widow opened her own booking business, a record store and a nightclub and never remarried. “Never will,” she said to the New York Times in 2022. “I love being Mrs Otis Redding. I’m the only one.”
This month will also see the singer receive a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Otis & Zelma will be directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples, whose breakout drama Miss Juneteenth premiered to acclaim at the Sundance film festival in 2020.
Boyega gained fame playing Finn in the recent Star Wars trilogy and is also known for roles in Attack the Block, The Woman King, Detroit and last year’s Netflix comedy They Cloned Tyrone. He also starred in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology.
Deadwyler played Emmett Till’s mother in the drama Till and has also featured in The Harder They Fall and I Saw the TV Glow on the big screen while appearing in Station Eleven on the small screen. She is also seen as a favourite for an Oscar nomination for her role in the August Wilson adaptation The Piano Lesson which premiered to strong reviews at this year’s Telluride film festival.
