Tika Sumpter has signed on to star in the James Brown biopic, Get On Up.
The 33-year-old actress will play Yvonne Fair, one of Brown’s back-up singers who recorded a song written by the legendary singer called “I Found You,” which was later turned into his best-selling single “I Got You (I Feel Good).”
Sumpter will join a cast that includes Chadwick Boseman (as James Brown), Jill Scott, Dan Aykroyd, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Lennie James and Keith Robinson. Tate Taylor is directing the biopic, based on a script penned by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth and Steven Baigelman.
Brian Grazer is producing the film alongside Mick Jagger and shooting is currently under way in Mississippi.
Shadow & Act reports that “Universal moved up the release date of Get On Up from October 17, 2014 to August 1, 2014, taking over the slot previously reserved for its 50 Shades Of Grey film adaptation, which has now been pushed to February 13, 2015.”
Tika Sumpter is best known for her role in the TV show The Haves and Have-Nots, which airs on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN and BET’s The Game. She has also completed work on Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas, My Man Is A Loser and Ride Along.
