(Left) Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor stars as Hattie in director RaMell Ross’s ‘Nickel Boys’, from Orion Pictures. Photo: Courtesy of Orion Pictures. © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved. (Right) Mick Jagger presents the Oscar® for Original Song during the live ABC Telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
Preview:
- Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Mick Jagger are developing a biopic of Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
- Ellis-Taylor is writing the script and may play the iconic musician.
- It’ll be based partly on Gayle Wald’s biography of Tharpe.
Biopics of iconic musicians still do solid business and frequently show up in awards contention –– see the recent Bob Dylan effort ‘A Complete Unknown’ for proof of that. So ‘Nickel Boys’Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Mick Jagger (no slouch himself in the musical legend department) are hoping the appetite is there for a movie about rock and roll legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Deadline brings word that Ellis-Taylor is writing a script and is on board to produce the movie alongside Jagger (who is shepherding via his Jagged Films company), but there is no mention yet of whether the former would star.
Related Article: Director Ava DuVernay and Actress Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Talk ‘Origin’
What’s the story of the Sister Rosetta Tharpe?
Sister Rosetta in ‘Sister Rosetta Tharpe: The Godmother of Rock & Roll’. Photo: PBS American Masters.
Rising to fame in the 1930s and ’40s, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a trailblazing gospel guitarist and singer whose fearless transgressions of musical boundaries laid the foundation for rock and roll.
An artist who broke barriers as a Black woman in music, she influenced countless legends with her music, including the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, and Little Richard.
Like other artists who didn’t get all the recognition they deserved, Tharpe’s contributions to music were to some degree overlooked during her lifetime, even as she was dubbed “the Godmother of Rock and Roll.” She died in 1973 and was only inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posthumously in 2018.
And her legacy persists through her music; her songs frequently appear in movies and shows, including, most recently, 2022 series ‘A League of Their Own,’ ‘Atlanta,’‘Death on the Nile,’‘I Know This Much is True’ and ‘Elvis & Nixon.’
In a key point, the movie has the participation of Tharpe’s estate, which has granted rights to her music catalogue. And the script will draw from Gayle Wald’s definitive biography ‘Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe,’ to which the producers secured exclusive rights.
In addition to the scripted feature on Tharpe, a companion documentary, featuring access to her musical catalogue, is currently in the works.
That film will explore Tharpe’s legacy through interviews with friends, collaborators, music scholars, and protégés, offering access to Wald’s exclusive recordings with gospel singer Marie Knight, Tharpe’s closest friend and collaborator.
And alongside Ellis-Taylor and Jagger, the new project has the backing of Tribeca Studios and Inaudible Productions.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic: the producers speak
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor stars as Hattie in director RaMell Ross’s ‘Nickel Boys’, from Orion Pictures. Photo: Courtesy of Orion Pictures. © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Here’s what Ellis-Taylor had to say about the movie and Tharpe:
“With six guitar strings and an amplifier as a battering ram, Sister Rosetta Tharpe knocked down the Jericho walls of convention and respectability. I’m thrilled to partner with Tribeca, Jagged Films and Inaudible Films to usher Sister Rosetta, a queer woman shaped in the pews of the Black South, to the screen.”
As for Jagger:
“I’m so thrilled to be a part in telling the story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe who was a trailblazing singer and electrifying guitarist. She reshaped music history and influenced countless artists.”
Finally, here’s Jane Rosenthal of Tribeca Films:
“The company is proud to champion the bold storytelling of Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor to bring this enigmatic icon’s story to light.”
Isn’t there another Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic in the works?
(L to R): Lizzo and Jack Black in ‘The Mandalorian.’ Photo: Lucasfilm/Disney+
It’s true –– this is not the only project about Tharpe making its way through development.
Amazon MGM Studios is putting together its own take on her story, with ‘About Damn Time’ singer Lizzo attached to play Tharpe.
According to a Deadline report from back in March, Natalie Chaidez and Kwynn Perry are working on a screenplay that, “captures a pivotal period in her life — one of groundbreaking innovation, defiant passion, and secret love. As she shatters musical boundaries with her signature guitar sound, Rosetta must navigate societal constraints, conceal her love for another woman, and ultimately transform a wedding into one of the most legendary concerts in history — the first stadium show.”
Which will successfully make it to screens? Let’s find out! Perhaps both will emerge at the same time for a classic ‘Armageddon’/‘Deep Impact’–style face-off, only with more guitars.
When will the Tharpe biopic be on screens?
That’s a tough question to answer right now since it’s still at a nascent stage. But given that the Ellis-Taylor/Jagger movie has the family’s backing and those crucial music rights, it definitely has a good shot.
Mick Jagger presents the Oscar® for Original Song during the live ABC Telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
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