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Milli Vanilli, the infamous ‘80s duo, is getting the biopic treatment. The film, called “Girl You Know Is True” will revive one of the most talked about scandals in the entertaiment industry and looks promising, at least according to the first look images released by the studio.
The film will star Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie as Fabrice Morvan and Robert Pilatus, the French and German duo that made up the band. The photos show them looking strikingly similar to the original band members, wearing a set of contrasting suits. The film co-stars Matthias Schweighöfer, who previously starred in the movie “Army of Thieves,” and who’ll play the role of the band’s producer, Frank Farian. The film will be directed by Simon Verhoeven who also wrote the script.
“‘Girl You Know It’s True’ is captivating on so many levels,” said Verhoeven to The Hollywood Reporter. “It not only tells the spectacular rise of two underdogs making it to the zenith of showbiz within one summer, it also gives a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of that illusory world of fame and its sometimes tragic and unscrupulous machinations. Personally, I think Rob and Fab did not deserve to become the sole scapegoats of this scandal.”
At the height of their fame, Milli Vanilli was involved in one of the biggest scandals in pop history. After achieving great fame and succes in the U.S. and winning Grammy Awards, it was revealed that they were a fake band, engineered by Farian. Both Morvan and Pilatus were lip-syncing to the voice of other singers, and their careers quickly became a punchiline. Pilatus later tried to make a comeback and was unsuccessful. He was found dead in 1998 after a suspected drug and alcohol overdose.
Biopics have long been the subject of investment in Hollywood. This year, “Elvis” was released and is likely to be on the list of nominees for some of the industry’s most prestigious awards. Later this month, “Blonde” will premiere on Venice Film Festival and Netflix, starring Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe.