Destiny fulfilled! Destiny’s Child alum LeToya Luckett is set to play Dionne Warwick in an upcoming biopic about the R&B legend, the singer announced at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, May 13, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“She is perfect and she has exactly the right look,” Warwick, 75, raved of Luckett’s impending performance as the powerhouse vocalist. “She will bring out what is needed for this part.”
THR reports that the movie, suitably titled Dionne, will cover the beginning of Warwick’s storied career from 1962 to 1968. It was during this period that the five-time Grammy winner crafted some of her most memorable tracks, including “I Say a Little Prayer.”
Not only will Luckett, 35, portray a younger version of the superstar, the “Bug a Boo” songstress will record several of Warwick’s hits for the film’s soundtrack.
Although initial reports claimed that Lady Gaga would costar alongside Luckett as Warwick’s then-nemesis Cilla Black, a rep for the pop star, 30, says she has no plans to participate: “She is not attached and will not appear in this project.”
Other stars who have been reportedly cast in Dionne include Olympia Dukakis, who will play Warwick’s mentor, iconic German actress and singer Marlene Dietrich, and Danny Glover, who will take on the role of Warwick’s father, Mancel.
As fans will recall, Luckett was one of the four original members of Destiny’s Child, along with Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Latavia Roberson. Luckett and Roberson, now 34, left the band in 2000 due to creative differences. They were quickly replaced by new members Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. Ultimately, the chart-topping quartet became a trio when Franklin, now 35, called it quits after filming the music video for “Say My Name.”
“It was a wonderful, wonderful time in my life,” Luckett recounted of her two-album run with Destiny’s Child during a 2014 interview with Rolling Out. “And I was blessed even to be able to be a part of one of the biggest girl groups known to man and travel the world at the age of like, 14 [or] 15!”
Luckett is expected to start filming Dionne later this year.
