Kate Lanier, the writer of Tina Turner biopic, has been tapped to pen the authorized movie while they have yet to find a director and cast for the upcoming film project.
- June 19, 2019
AceShowbiz - The screenwriter behind Tina Turner biopic "What's Love Got to Do with It" has been tasked with adapting the life of late Latin singer/actress Jenni Rivera for a feature film.
Estate officials initially announced plans for the big screen project in 2016, four years after Rivera was killed in a 2012 plane crash, aged 43, and now it is finally moving into development with Kate Lanier tapped to write the movie.
The as-yet-untitled film is expected to chronicle the Mexican-American star's rise to fame in a male-dominated industry, and delve into the turbulence of her personal life, including her experiences with abuse and sexual assault.
"It's been a long time coming," her sister and estate executor Rosie Rivera tells the Associated Press.
Producer Donald De Line adds in a statement, "Jenni's story is universal in themes of love, loss, success, and cultural change."
A director and cast have yet to be chosen, but the biopic will feature some previously unreleased music from the tragic singer.
The film will be the latest adaption of Rivera's life story - TV bosses at the Telemundo network created the series "Mariposa De Barrio (Neighbourhood Butterfly)", with the blessing of Rivera's family, in 2017, while there was also a rival, unofficial show titled, "Su Nombre Era Dolores, La Jenn Que Yo Conoci (Her Name was Dolores: The Jenn That I Know)", told from the point of view of Jenni's former manager Pete Salgado.
Meanwhile, musician and producer Emilio Estefan is preparing to release an authorised documentary recounting the last six days of Rivera's life, which will include video footage from her final concert in Monterrey, Mexico, on the eve of her death.
