Beyonce Knowles to play Diana Ross in new movie - collect celebrity news, gossip, interviews here.

Beyonce Knowles to play Diana Ross in new movie 2007-01-01

Beyonce Knowles is set to play Diana Ross in a new movie based on her life.

The pop babe is reportedly in talks with movie bosses about taking on the lead role in forthcoming film 'Dreamgirls', which is said to be loosely based on the 'Chain Reaction' star's rise to fame.

Insiders say the Destiny's Child singer is being considered for the role of Deena Jones - a backing singer who becomes thrust into the limelight after the group's less glamorous lead singer is sacked - in the thinly-veiled story of an all-girl Motown band.

Bootylicious Beyonce, who made her movie debut three years ago in hit comedy 'Austin Powers: Goldmember', is believed to have met with 'Chicago' director Bill Condon and producer Laurence Mark last week to screen test for the role, according to America's Variety magazine.

The movie, which is due to begin shooting in the autumn, is currently being adapted from an award-winning Broadway musical that was last staged in New York in 1981 and pencilled in for release early next year.

Earlier this month, the sexy star was short-listed to play Bob Dylan.


The 'Survivor' singer is one of several black female stars bizarrely being considered to play the protest singer in a biopic of his life after the director, Todd Haynes, announced he was searching for a woman to do justice to the white Jewish singer's "inner blackness".