Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men attend the 47th NAACP Image Awards Presented By TV One After Party at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on February 5, 2016 in Pasadena, California.
Jesse GrantAmazon Studios, Davis Entertainment and Malcolm D. Lee’s Blackmaled Productions are partnering on a coming-of-age movie musical titled Brotherly, which will be based on the music of R&B supergroup Boyz II Men.
Brotherly will follows a group of men who, according to the project’s synopsis, “will return to West Philadelphia for a high school reunion 20 years after having gone their separate ways — eventually finding hope, redemption and a new understanding of the enduring power of friendship.”
In addition to producing, Lee is also in talks to direct the project, which will be written by Marcus Gardley, who is behind the upcoming The Color Purple movie musical adaptation as well as Marvin Gaye biopic What’s Going On.
From Philadelphia, Boyz II Men is known for emotional ballads that are peppered with a cappella harmonies, gaining prominence in the ’90s and earning four Grammy Awards throughout their three-decade career. The group’s prominent singles include “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” “End of the Road,” “On Bended Knee” and “I’ll Make Love to You.”
John Davis and John Fox, who were most recently in theaters with Disney’s Jungle Cruise, will produce the project with Lee via his Blackmaled Productions. Eric Bromberg, Joe Mulvihill, Davis Entertainment’s Jeremy Stein and Sheila Walcott will executive produce, as well as Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman.
Lee, repped by A3 and Del Shaw, was last behind the camera for Warner Bros. tentpole Space Jam: A New Legacy. Gardley, repped by WME, Manage-ment and Jackaway Austin, has a first-look television deal with Amazon. His previous screen credits include the series Maid, Foundation, and The Chi.
Boyz II Men are repped by ICM Partners.
This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.
