by R&B superstar Beyonce is gearing up to play famed blues singer Etta James in new movie Cadillac Records. The Dreamgirls actress will join Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright and Cedric the Entertainer in the 1950s-set film, reports AOL.com. Actor Matt Dillon has been replaced by Oscar-winning Brody in the role of Leonard Chess, the founder of legendary blues label Chess Records, after scheduling conflicts forced him to pull out of the project. The story is about Leonard Chess, the legendary founder of the South Side Chicago blues label Chess Records. The period piece follows the rise and fall of Chess Records, which launched the careers of such R&B greats as Muddy Waters, Etta James and Chuck Berry. Chess, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, scoured the South, checking out the various blues scenes and selling records from the back of his Cadillac. Cedric the Entertainer will play Willie Dixon, who wrote most of the hits records and was part of the famous company. One of his most famous songs was “Hoochie Coochie Man.” Filming is scheduled to start later this year (2008) in New Jersey and Mississippi.
