Celine Dion's life is going to be a feature film. Titled "The Power of Love," the movie is slated for a 2020 release with French actress Valerie Lemercier taking on the lead role. Lemercier will also direct the movie.
According to Variety, Dion has granted the rights to do the biopic after years of prodding. "The Power of Love" will feature the 50-year-old singer's rise to fame as a struggling musician from a poor family in Quebec.
But Lemercier said that while she's a big fan of Dion's music and career, she was even more touched to learn of the love story between the "My Heart Will Go On" singer and her husband, Rene Angelil. So, the movie will also focus on their relationship just as Dion's star was rising.
Dion and married Angelil, who was 26 years older than her, in 1994. They met through her brother who sought Angelil's help so he could manage Dion's career. Convinced of her talent, Angelil decided to mortgage his house so that he could fund her very first album.
Angelil, however, died in January 2016 due to a heart attack caused by complications of cancer. The couple had three boys in their long marriage.
France's Gaumont Productions will produce "The Power of Love." The decision to do Dion's life story on the big screen was inspired by the success of the Freddie Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the upcoming Elton John film "Rocketman." But Cecile Gaget of Gaumont said Dion's story will not come from a big Hollywood studio, unlike these two movies. They are also making the film accessible to independent distributors.
Meanwhile, "The Power of Love" biopic could not have picked a great star than Lemercier. She not only bears a slight resemblance to Dion, but she also performed in a series of one-woman shows in France as a singer, dancer and actress. As a director, Lemercier has also several domestic hits to her name.
Aside from her story, Dion has also given Gaumont the permission to use many of her songs in the film. It's unclear, however, if Dion will make a cameo in the movie.
In 1995, Dion released "The Power of Love," which earned her a nomination for Favorite Pop or Rock single at the American Music Awards. The hitmaker is also recognized for making over 10 million CD sales in various countries across the world in the late '90s.
In June this year, Dion will cap her long-running Las Vegas residency after nearly eight years. She's also set to mount a show in London in July for the British Summer Time festival.
