*In 2004, Janet Jackson was all set to portray Lena Horne in a planned biopic at ABC. It was to be produced by famed duo Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, whose stellar resume featured the classics “Annie” and “The Music Man,” and years later would include NBC’s live musical franchise, launched by the highly-rated “The Sound Of Music Live!,” and followed by “Peter Pan,” “The Wiz,” “Hairspray” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
But faster than you can say “wardrobe malfunction,” plans for the biopic were dropped. The Feb. 1, 2004 Super Bowl halftime show was supposed to close with Justin Timberlake ripping away a portion of Jackson’s bustier as part of the choreography. Instead he snatched the entire fabric to expose her bare breast, with some kind of metal ornament covering only the nipple.
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Janet had been cast to play Horne five months before the Super Bowl. The New York Post reported that the film would be based on the stage and screen legend’s autobiography “Lena,” and feature Jackson singing the tunes Horne made famous. Jackson even appeared in a Vanity Fair magazine photo spread costumed as Horne. (See photo above.)
But once Jackson’s t** hit the fan, Horne balked. On Feb. 24, 2004, Variety reported that the 86-year-old star and her daughter Gail Lumet Buckley were so outraged by the halftime show that they refused to grant ABC their contractual approval of the film unless Jackson was fired. ABC refused, but Jackson decided to respect Horne’s wishes and leave the project . In solidarity, Meron and Zadan dropped out as well, and the biopic was never made.
Source: Why Janet Jackson Never Got to Play Lena Horne [EUR Video Throwback]
