*Michael Bivins wanted Larenz Tate to play him in a 2017 BET miniseries about his famed group New Edition.
Bivins told Page Six that his wife personally selected “Empire” star Bryshere Y. Gray to play the singer in the series.
“Who I really wanted to play me was Larenz Tate, and then I wanted [‘Red Tails’ star] Tristan Wilds. But Tristan was booked, and Larenz was booked,” he said.
The biopic brings to life the story of the group that laid the foundation for how modern-day boy bands look, feel, and sound. Boyz II Men, N’SYNC, The Backstreet Boys, and New Kids On The Block all took their cues from New Edition, the famed band that includes Bivins, Ronnie Devoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill.
The movie follows New Edition from their humble beginnings as kids in Boston to global mega-stardom. All 6 members served as the co-producers on the project.
“I did not see it then, but I see it now,” Bivins said on the podcast about Bryshere Y. Gray. “I just coached them and had conversations with him, and he ended up being the perfect person for the job.”
Bivins added, “He ended up doing a hell of a job. So I cannot take credit for him. All I did was drill him.”
Meanwhile, the life story of Michael Bivins is told in a new documentary now streaming on ALLBLK.
“The Hustle of @617MikeBiv” details how a kid from Roxbury, Massachusetts’s Orchard Projects, dreamed of playing in the NBA but, due to his popularity as a baller, was asked to join the legendary group New Edition. Watch the trailer below.
READ MORE: Michael Bivins Documentary to Explore Life of New Edition, Bell Biv DeVoe Star (Trailer)
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