Milli Vanilli's Music Scandal Takes Focus i...

Milli Vanilli's rise onto the '80s music scene is making its way to the big screen

Published Time: 16.07.2024 - 15:31:19 Modified Time: 16.07.2024 - 15:31:19

Milli Vanilli's rise onto the '80s music scene is making its way to the big screen.

PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer for Girl You Know It’s True, the biopic that, according to a press release, tracks the "meteoric rise and tabloid-fueled fall" of the R&B duo, written and directed by Simon Verhoeven.

Milli Vanilli's Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus found success with songs like “Girl You Know It’s True” and “Blame It on the Rain." However, it was eventually revealed that the two stars were not the vocalists on any of Milli Vanilli’s songs, and were instead lip-syncing to the voices of other artists. (The Recording Academy revoked their best new artist Grammy win.)

In the film, Tijan Njie plays Pilatus and Elan Ben Ali plays Morvan. Matthias Schweighöfer portrays music producer Frank Farian, and the cast also includes Graham Rogers and Bella Dayne.

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Morvan, 58, served as a consultant and co-producer on the project, while Pilatus, who died in 1998 at age 33, is represented by sister Carmen Pilatus on the associate producer team, plus Milli Vanilli’s former assistant Todd Headlee and Ingrid “Milli” Segieth.

The actual singers behind Milli Vanilli’s vocals were John Davis and Brad Howell; Howell is an associate producer on the movie, as is Jasmin Davis, daughter of the other late singer.

“We are excited to release this film that delves into the true story behind the success and controversy surrounding Milli Vanilli’s legacy," Tony Piantedosi, the SVP of acquisitions for the film's distributor, Vertical, said in a statement.

"Simon has created a remarkable story with the collaboration of people who lived through the ordeal," added Piantedosi. "It is a rare treat to pull back the curtain and show audiences the real story behind the shocking headlines."

Girl You Know It’s True is in theaters Aug. 9.