Posted by | Ray Cornelius
BET announced this week that the highly anticipated biopic, “The New Edition Story,” will air as a six hour, three night event on January 24, 25, and 26, 2017.
The made-for-television movie will bring to life the story of the group that laid the foundation for how modern-day boy bands look, feel, and sound. Boyz II Men, N’SYNC, The Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block all took their cues from New Edition, the famed band that included Ronnie Devoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Mike Bivins, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill who, for over the last three decades, have consistently produced hit music as a band.
To celebrate the announcement of the release dates, BET has additionally released an official “first look” clip from the film which can be viewed HERE.
“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.
The biopic includes a star-studded cast:
Bryshere Y. Gray (Empire) will play Michael Bivins as an adult and Dante Hoagland (Emelie) will play Michael as a child.
Elijah Kelley (The Wiz Live!) will play Ricky Bell as an adult and Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) will play Ricky as a child.
Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Luke James will play Johnny Gill.
Algee Smith (Let It Shine) will play Ralph Tresvant as an adult and Jahi Winston (Feed The Beast) will play Ralph as a child.
Keith Powers (Straight Outta Compton) will play Ronnie Devoe as an adult and Myles Truitt will play Ronnie as a child.
Woody McClain (Autographs) will play Bobby Brown as an adult and Tyler Williams will play Bobby as a child.
Additional cast members include Wood Harris (The Wire, The Breaks), Michael Rapaport (Boston Public, Justified), Faizon Love (Real Husbands of Hollywood), Duane Martin (Real Husbands of Hollywood), singer/songwriter Tank, and Bre-Z (Empire) along with La La Anthony (Power), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), Monica Calhoun (The Best Man), Lisa Nicole Carson (Love Jones) and Sandi McCree (The Wire).
Check out another sneak peek of the film that was released over the summer below!
Photo Credits: BET.com and BlackFilm.com