Zoe Saldana stars in first trailer for controversial Nina Simone biopic
Well, folks, it's here.
A trailer has finally dropped for Nina, a highly controversial Nina Simone biopic starring Zoe Saldana in a prosthetic nose and dark makeup.
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The biopic, written and directed by Cynthia Mort, trails Simone's rise to success, detailing her music career and political activism. David Oyelewo costars in the film as manager Clifton Henderson.
The film has had a long and troubled road to theaters, garnering backlash when Saldana was announced as the star -- rather than Mary J. Blige, originally set to play the title role. There was even more backlash when images of Saldana in darker makeup were released.
The famed singer's daughter, Simone Kelly, doesn't approve of the film, previously saying that Nina Simone's estate was "never asked permission nor invited to participate" in the biopic. In a later interview, she said that she loves Saldana as an actress, but doesn't think she was meant for the part.
Kelly would have preferred Viola Davis, Kimberly Elise, or Adepero Oduye. Adding Saldana to the cast, she said, "was only a further example of how much this project really just veered away from what the truth was.”
Now that the trailer's finally out, it doesn't seem to have inspired much confidence with viewers.
Nina will hit theaters on April 22.
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Yohana Desta was the senior film reporter for Mashable. She is a Northern Virginia native and an American University grad. She enjoys carefully curating her Instagram account and can often be found reading books, going to concerts, watching movies and learning way too much about pop culture.
