The Queen Latifah story covers a Newark teenager on Tommy Boy, "Ladies First," Living Single, an Oscar nomination and a production company. That's a lot of life for one actress to carry.
## What she said Speaking at Variety's Power of Women summit, Latifah said the biopic will hold an open casting call and might split the role across multiple women. "Someone has to capture all the different sides of me, and that's going to be a challenge to pull it off," she said, per Yahoo Entertainment. "They're out there somewhere. It might be three people." Then: "My life is exhausting." HotNewHipHop ran it Sept. 24.
## Who's making it The film was announced in 2024 as the first in a planned series about major hip-hop artists. Latifah and longtime partner Shakim Compere produce through Flavor Unit, alongside Will Smith's Westbrook Studios and Jesse Collins Entertainment, with HarbourView Equity Partners financing the slate. No director or date announced yet.
## Why this one matters Most rap biopics get made after the artist is gone, by people who never met them, from catalogs someone else controls. This one has the subject producing, her own company holding the pen, and a Black-owned production partner in Jesse Collins. That's the difference between having your story told and telling it yourself. An open call is also the right move. The actress who can play 1989 Latifah on "Ladies First" probably isn't the one who can play the Flavor Unit executive, and Latifah knows that better than any studio would.
## Sources - HotNewHipHop, Sept. 24, 2026: Queen Latifah says one actress may not be enough for her biopic - Yahoo Entertainment, Sept. 24, 2026: Queen Latifah admits there is a massive catch when casting her biopic - Yahoo Entertainment, 2024: Queen Latifah biopic in the works