Blige to play Nina Simone in biopic

Hip-hop songstress tabbed for forthcoming MTV Films/Paramount Pictures project about legendary jazz and soul singer.

The queen of hip-hop soul plans to morph into the high priestess of soul on the big screen.

Mary J. Blige has been tabbed to play the legendary Nina Simone in a biopic from MTV Films/Paramount Pictures. Blige, who has never starred in a film, made her big-screen debut in 2001's Prison Song, which was cowritten by Q-Tip.

The as-yet-untitled biopic will cover the life and eclectic career of the late Simone, whose music ran the gamut from signature jazz ballads to influential protest anthems. The film will focus on her rise to stardom, her relationship with manager Clifton Henderson, her decision to essentially retire in the 1970s, and her move to Paris soon after.

Simone scored an early hit with her take on the Gershwin classic "I Loves You Porgy" in the late 1950s, and although her prolific career never included another top 40 single, she made her mark with a heap of influential albums full of eclectic songs.

Simone found her voice during the civil rights movement, penning powerful protest songs like "Mississippi Goddam," "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free," and "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black." Both Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway scored hits with covers of "To Be Young" in the mid-1970s.

She also became known for her interest in a wide range of music, putting her stamp on songs like "See Line Woman," "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," and "I Put a Spell on You."

Simone retreated from recording in the late 1970s and moved overseas, living at different times in Switzerland, Liberia, Barbados, and Britain but eventually settling outside Paris, France. She published her autobiography, I Put a Spell on You, in 1991.

Simone toured infrequently, and although she often had to be helped on to the stage in her later years, she always seemed strong and vibrant once she sat down at the piano.

The film will be produced by Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine along with Lauren Lloyd, Gene Kirkwood, and Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg. A director has not been named, but the screenplay will be penned by television writer Cynthia Mort, who has written for TV shows like Will & Grace and Roseanne.

Blige's seventh studio album, The Breakthrough, is set to hit stores on December 20. She received the VLegend Award at the Vibe Awards in November.