John Boyega And Danielle Deadwyler Star In Upcoming ‘Otis & Zelma’ Biopic

Golden Globe Award winner John Boyega and Gotham Award-winning actress Danielle Deadwyler collaborate for the new biopic, ‘Otis & Zelma,’ about the life and legacy of the late soul singer, Otis Redding Jr., and his widow Zelma Redding. The highly anticipated film showcases Otis’ and Zelma’s marriage and its influence on his groundbreaking career before his untimely death in 1967 at the age of 26.

Hailed “King of Soul,” Otis Redding was a prominent Soul and R&B singer during the 1960s. The influential Georgia native worked with the likes of the electrifying Little Richard, the legendary Blues guitarist Johnny Jenkins, and more before his breakout year in 1962 with Stax Records. Redding captivated the hearts and emotions of listeners across the country with hit singles like “These Arms of Mine,” “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” and “Try A Little Tenderness” among others. His domestic success traversed borders with his history-making concerts in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Zelma Redding is the loving widow of Otis Redding, the mother of their three children, and the iconic woman committed to keeping Redding’s legacy alive. They married in 1961 and since his tragic death, Mrs. Redding has dedicated her time to honoring her late husband. She established the Otis Redding Foundation in 2007 and funded the Otis Redding Center for the Arts located in Macon, Georgia. Mrs. Redding’s dedication to music education through these organizations reflects the love and commitment to her late husband and his craft.

John Boyega and Danielle Deadwyler bring with them a prolific set of performing acts that will highlight and honor the Reddings. Boyega stars in major films like ‘Half A Yellow Sun’ (2013), the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy (2015, 2017 and 2019), ‘The Woman King’ (2022), ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ (2023), and more. Deadwyler stars in ‘The Harder They Fall’ (2021), ‘Till’ (2022), ‘The Piano Lesson’ (2024), and more. The film is directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples and produced by Fifth Season, Homegrown Pictures, and Kinfolk Management + Media.

—Dominique Young