New Edition is one of the most revered singing groups of all time. With a career that has spanned well over thirty years, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, and Johnny Gill have provided the soundtracks to many of our lives. It goes without saying then, that any biopic depicting these living legends (whom we’ve come to know as intimately as if they were our close friends) has astronomical expectations.
Recently, we’ve seen some unfortunate depictions of some of our late legends lives on screen. However, Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray, the cast of Straight Outta Compton, as well as Angela Bassett’s depiction of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It? remain some of the most riveting biopics in cinematic history.
BET’s three-part miniseries depicting the acclaimed R&B group hopes to stand with the greats. At the Urbanworld Film Festival this past weekend, EBONY.com got a sneak preview of the highly anticipated miniseries.
With real-life New Edition members serving as consultants and co-producers on the film, the miniseries is a vibrant time capsule from a group that has helped shape music history. Beginning in the Boston Orchard Park Projects in 1978, BET and Urbanworld presented clips leading up to the groups disastrous 1997 Home Again Tour.
The miniseries’ spot on casting includes Bryshere Y. Gray as Michael Bivins, Elijah Kelley as Ricky Bell, singer-songwriter Luke James as Johnny Gill, Algee Smith as Ralph Tresvant, Keith Powers as Ronnie DeVoe, and Woody McClain as Bobby Brown.
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Image: BET