OTS - LEONINE Studios and Wiedemann & Berg Film reveal first look on Milli Vanilli biopic GIRL YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE (part 1)
2022. September 01. 15:02
Los Angeles, 1 September, 2022 (APA/OTS) - European major LEONINE
Studios reveals first look on its international biopic GIRL YOU
KNOW IT'S TRUE, produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film.
- Lead actors are Tijan Njie as Robert Pilatus and Elan Ben
Ali as Fabrice Morvan
- Matthias Schweighöfer stars as Milli Vanilli producer
Frank Farian
- Writer and director is multi award-winning filmmaker Simon
Verhoeven
- Produced by Quirin Berg and Max Wiedemann, producers of
the Academy Award® winning feature film THE LIVES OF OTHERS, the
two-time Academy Award® nominated NEVER LOOK AWAY, and the
groundbreaking Netflix Original Series DARK
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 (Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer", "Heart of Stone",
"Army of the Dead") is starring as German music producer Frank
Farian. The cast also includes Graham Rogers ("Ray Donovan", "The
Kominsky Method", "Atypical") as Milli Vanilli's US assistant Todd
and Bella Dayne ("Humans", "Troy - Fall of a City") 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 No. 1 hits in the US. But only a small circle of
insiders know that the duo is not singing but lip syncing to the
voices of two other artists. At the height of their fame, Milli
Vanilli win the Grammy Award but the situation behind the scenes
escalates and the pressure on Rob and Fab grows. When the truth is
revealed, they stare 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. Quirin
Berg and Max Wiedemann, producers of the Academy Award® winning
film THE LIVES OF OTHERS, the two-time Academy Award® nominated
film NEVER LOOK AWAY and the groundbreaking Netflix Original Series
DARK are producing. Producer Kirstin Winkler ("2012", "10,000 BC",
"Anonymous") is overseeing production.
Principal photography takes place in Munich and Berlin
(Germany), Capetown (South Africa) and Los Angeles (USA). Filming
will wrap in December 2022. The film follows a true language
approach and is shot almost entirely in English. The title echoes
Milli Vanilli's 1989 break-out hit GIRL YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE,
originally written by the US Hip-Hop group Numarx and later covered
by successful music producer Frank Farian.
Kevin Liles, member of Numarx, legendary co-founder and CEO of
music company 300 Entertainment is executive producing alongside
co-producers Simon Verhoeven, Frank Farian and Stefan Gärtner.
Associate producers are Jasmin Davis, daughter of the late John
Davis, and Brad Howell, who were the true voices of Milli Vanilli
and invaluable consultants in the development phase. Carmen
Pilatus, sister of the late Rob Pilatus, Milli Vanilli's former
assistant Todd Headlee, and Ingrid Segieth aka Milli, Frank
Farian's right-hand, are also attached as associate producers.
Writer and director Simon Verhoeven says: "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."
Quirin Berg, Chief Creative Officer and Chief Production
Officer of LEONINE Studios: "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."
The film is produced by LEONINE Studios and Wiedemann & Berg
Film, in co-production with Sentana Film, SevenPictures and
Mediawan. The production is financially supported by German Federal
Film Fund (DFFF), FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, German Federal Film
Board (FFA), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MFG Baden-Württemberg
and Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Digitales. All rights are
with LEONINE Studios. (continues)