TV One Announces Production Of Original Film ‘The Bobby Debarge Story’

TV One has announced that production is underway in Atlanta for its new original film THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY, slated to premiere in June, 2019. The film’s stars include Roshon Fegan (Shake It Up, Greenleaf) in the lead role as Bobby DeBarge, Tyra Ferrell (Boyz InThe Hood, White Men Can’t Jump) as Etterlene DeBarge, and Adrian Marcel as James DeBarge. Big Boi (Outkast) portrays legendary music mogul Berry Gordy, while Lloyd appears as Switch member Gregory Williams.

The movie explores the tumultuous life of the former lead singer of the 70’s R&B/Funk Band Switch, also the eldest sibling of the world-famous pop group DeBarge. Despite his success in music, the iconic falsetto found his life in peril as he struggled with fame and fortune while coping with the memories of his dysfunctional childhood.

“THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY continues TV One’s tradition of telling the story of unsung music heroes. While our audience knows Bobby’s group, Switch, and his musically-gifted family, DeBarge, they may not know Bobby DeBarge’s contribution to creating the sound that changed the music landscape for decades to come. A falsetto master, Bobby DeBarge was a musical genius who battled demons of his own for many years. THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY is the quintessential story of sex, drugs and rock and roll,” stated Karen Peterkin, Director of Scripted Original Programming and Production, who serves as Executive in Charge of Production for TV One.

THE BOBBY DEBARGE STORY is produced for TV One by Swirl Films. Leading the production are Executive Producers, Eric Tomosunas and Teri DeBarge. The film is written by Norman Vance, Jr., directed by Russ Parr with casting provided by Leah Daniels Butler (Leah Daniels Butler Casting) and George Pierre (Pierre Casting). For TV One, Karen Peterkin and Jason Ryan are the Executive Producers in Charge of Production, Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting and Robyn Greene Arrington is Vice President Original Programming and Production.

For more information about TV One’s upcoming programming, including original movies, visit the network’s companion website at www.tvone.tv. TV One viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv) using the hash tags #BOBBYDEBARGESTORY and #REPRESENT.