Zoe Saldana Stars As Nina Simone In "Nina" (VIDEO)

Nina, the long-awaited and quite controversial Nina Simone biopic starring Zoe Saldana, is finally becoming a reality: On Tuesday, EW revealed the film’s poster and release date, and today, audiences get their first look at Nina’s trailer.

The film follows Simone through her legendary career as an American vocalist, particularly her years living in isolation in France after finding it difficult to balance her singing career with her political activism. In France, she meets the man who will become her assistant-turned-manager, Clifton Henderson (Selma’s David Oyelowo). Nina is directed by first-timer Cynthia Mort.

Controvery has plagued the film for years: Back in 2010, Mary J. Blige was attached to star, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. When Saldana was brought on, many objected to the petite, light-skinned actress playing the darker-skinned icon. Even Simone’s daughter, Simone Kelly, had problems with the film. She put her muscle behind Netflix’s Oscar-nominated documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, released in 2015.

This film is quite controversial in that when Saldana was casted in the role, several people were concerned with the choice to have a latina actress portray Simone, whose darker skin was a crucial part of her music and story. To make Saldana look more like Simone, make-up artists had to apply blackface and she even wore a prosthetic nose for the role.

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