Bryshere Gray to Play in New Edition Biopic
LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 19: Actor/singer Bryshere "Yazz" Gray attends NAB Show's "EMPIRE: Inside the Megahit Broadcast Series" panel at the Las Vegas Convention Center on April 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NAB Show, the trade show of the National Association of Broadcasters and the world's largest electronic media show, runs through April 21 and features more than 1,700 exhibitors and 103,000 attendees.
It looks like Bryshere Gray is getting some more airtime, as it was just announced that he will play Michael Bivins in BET’s new biopic on the R&B group New Edition.
As of right now, the other cast members who have signed on to play members of one of the greatest R&B groups include Luke James as Johnny Gill, Elijah Kelley as Ricky Bell, Straight Outta Compton’s Keith Powers as Ronnie DeVoe, Algie Smith as Ralph Tresvant, and Woody McClain as Bobby Brown.
Five of New Edition’s members (Bell, Bivins, DeVoe, Gill, and Tresvant) serve as consultants and executive producers for the biopic. The group’s manager Brooke Payne is a co-producer. The script was written by Abdul Williams and the man behind ATL, Chris Robinson will also be directing this movie, too.
The casting selection comes approximately ten months after BET put out a press release announcing that this biopic will be a miniseries with a quote from New Edition.
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“It’s been a long time coming and that time is finally here! Now that we have signed the deal, New Edition’s journey will be captured in a three night miniseries to tell our life story through our very own eyes. We are happy to have New Edition Enterprises collaborate with BET Networks’ Debra Lee and Stephen Hill along with Jesse Collins Entertainment. From our beginning in the Orchard Park Projects in Boston to Hollywood and everything in between, just like The Temptations and The Jackson Five—we are ready to retrace our footsteps and show everyone how we got here. For the fans all over the world, this one’s for you,” says New Edition.
Even though it was initially intended to premiere in early 2016, New Edition has plans to begin production in May, with a tentative airdate in 2017.
This seems to be quite a year for Gray, besides being on Empire, he has already begun to share some of his personal stories aloud to a group of young black men, and now he is getting some buzz worthy roles this year. We can’t wait to see what else 2016 has in store for him.
Who else is excited to see Bryshere Gray along with the others in this new movie? I know I am. Let us know!
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)