‘Rosetta’: Lizzo Set to Lead Upcoming Biopic!!

Lizzo is set to make her big-screen starring debut. She’s signed on to star in Rosetta, a new biopic of Sister Rosetta Tharp, the groundbreaking musician known as the Queen of Rock and Roll. Deadline reports that Lizzo will produce the film for Amazon MGM Studios, as well.

Lizzo, the Grammy-winning musician born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, will star in the film as Tharp, who was born in 1915 and became a sensation in the 1930s and 40s as a gospel singer. She was one of the first musicians to popularize the electric guitar, and was a key figure in the creation of what would become rock and roll. Rock legends like Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Tina Turner cited her as an influence on their musicianship, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. However, she remains a somewhat obscure figure among the public: Rosetta will be the first project to bring her life story to the big screen. According to the film’s logline, it will capture a specific time in Tharp’s life as she “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.” Rosetta is in development, and does not yet have a director attached.

What Other Movies and TV Shows Has Lizzo Starred In?

While Rosetta will be her first leading role, Lizzo is no stranger to the big or small screens. She made her big-screen acting debut in 2019’s Hustlers, playing a flute-playing exotic dancer. In 2023, she appeared in the third season of The Mandalorian alongside Jack Black and Christopher Lloyd, as a duchess dealing with an apparent droid uprising. She has also loaned her voice to the 2019 animated feature UglyDolls, the Adult Swim comedy series Brad Neely’s Harg Nallin’ Sclopio Peepio, and a 2023 episode of The Simpsons, in which she played both a talking elf doll and herself. She has also been featured in the documentaries Love, Lizzo and Beyoncé‘s concert film Renaissance, and hosted the reality competition series Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

Rosetta will be produced by Lizzo, Kevin Beisler (Marry Me), and Significant Productions’ Nina Yang Bongiovi and Forest Whitaker. Natalie Chaidez (The Flight Attendant) and Kwynn Perry (The Burned Photo podcast) are writing the screenplay.