BET is rounding out the cast for its three-part miniseries New Edition: The Movie. “Power” star La La Anthony is the latest celeb to join the upcoming project, reports Deadline.
Anthony will play Flo DeVoe, mother of the young Ronnie DeVoe, the second-to-last member to join the R&B/pop group (Johnny Gill being the last) after being brought in by his uncle and the group’s choreographer, Brooke Payne.
Written by Abdul Williams, best known for his work on Lottery Ticket, the made-for-TV movie will follow the boy band from their humble beginnings as tender youth in Boston, Massachusetts, to their rise to global mega-stardom – “weathering the highs and lows of controversy, personnel changes, and the ultimate cost of fame.”
In 1981, the group took second place at a talent show which caught the eye of record producer, Maurice Starr, who signed them to his Streetwise record label. New Edition went on to become the biggest-selling boy band group from the mid to late 1980s. The group garnered hit singles like “Candy Girl”, “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man.” In 1990, New Edition split. At that time, DeVoe, Ricky Bell and Michael Bivins found success with the newly formed hip-hop group Bell Biv DeVoe.
Although all six members reunited in 1996 to record the group’s sixth studio album, Home Again, they failed to keep it together while on tour. In the years since, the group has launched several ill-fated tours, most recently their “New Edition & Friends” tour which kicked off last year. While the movie won’t debut until 2017, hit the flip to meet the cast so far.
