Leonine Studios revealed a first look on its international biopic “Girl you know it’s true,” produced by Leonine Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film, in co-production with Sentana Film, SevenPictures and Mediawan.
After a year of intense casting in five countries, newcomers Tijan Njie from Germany and Elan Ben Ali from France are set to portray the lead roles of the Milli Vanilli frontmen Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, the top-charting pop and R&B duo. Matthias Schweighöfer is starring as German music producer Frank Farian. The cast also includes Graham Rogers as Milli Vanilli’s US assistant Todd, and Bella Dayne as Milli, Farian’s right-hand.
The film is centered around the true story of the notorious scandal involving dancers Robert Pilatus’ and Fabrice Morvan’s rise to fame in the late 1980s as pop sensation Milli Vanilli. Orchestrated by music producer Frank Farian, they became global stars with three number one hits in the United States. But only a small circle of insiders knew that the duo was not singing but lip syncing to the voices of two other artists. At the height of their fame, Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award but the situation behind the scenes escalated and the pressure on Rob and Fab grew. When the truth was revealed, they stared into the abyss while the world witnesses one of the biggest scandals in music history.
Multi award-winning filmmaker Simon Verhoeven is directing, based on his original screenplay “Girl you know it’s true,” while Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann are producing. Kirstin Winkler is overseeing production. Principal photography takes place in Munich and Berlin (Germany), Capetown (South Africa) and Los Angeles (United States). Filming will wrap in December 2022.
“‘Girl you know it’s true’ is captivating on so many levels. 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,” writer and director Simon Verhoeven said.
Quirin Berg, Chief Creative Officer and Chief Production Officer of Leonine Studios, added: “‘Girl you know it’s true’ comes from the heart of a decade when MTV planted its flag on the moon and we were able to see music, not just listen to it. Our film celebrates Rob and Fab and what they achieved with Milli Vanilli and at the same time Simon’s fantastic screenplay also captures the complexity and ultimately tragic dimension that came with it. He offers not just an immensely entertaining take on the story but also a layer of critical reflection that asks many questions which seem more relevant today than ever. It took many years to secure the music rights, and it’s a huge milestone to see this project in production now.”
Related News
