Playwriting alum Melis Aker '18 has been tapped to write a new Prince biopic The Most Beautiful, in production at Crazy Legs Features. The movie is based on a memoir from Mayte Garcia, the first wife of Prince.
In an exclusive with Deadline, the CEO of Crazy Legs Features shared how wonderful it has been to work with both women on this project. “Working alongside Melis and Mayte on this adaptation has been an extraordinary experience. Mayte’s memoir is both intimate and profound, and Melis has a singular gift for honoring the truth of her voice while shaping it into a cinematic story. Together, they’re bringing to the screen a love story as unconventional and groundbreaking as the artistry it was born from.”
In the same exclusive, Garcia shared her excitement in working with Aker. “I’m honored to have Melis as the screenwriter for The Most Beautiful. From our first meeting, her dedication to every detail gave me confidence that my story will be translated to the screen with care and integrity.”
Melis shared her excitement for the upcoming project in a post on Instagram. “The doves are crying and, well, I am too…I’m gonna go pinch myself, then I might go dance like it’s 1999 where 8-year-old Melis is fainting in some alternate universe because never in a million years did she think she’d be given this gift. Then it’s back to writing for me. Purple love, here we go.”
Named a “Woman to Watch” by the Broadway Women’s Fund, Melis Aker is a writer, actor, and musician from Turkey based between London and New York. She has a series in development with Skybound Entertainment, and will next be developing the musical play Hundred Feet Tall with Benjamin Scheuer, Jemima Williams and Samuel Wyer directed by Katy Rudd at the Old Vic, her play Murmurs at Theatre503, and her play Fish at the Signature Theatre Company. She recently completed her short film Baba in Graceland, which was developed via the Sundance Interdisciplinary Program grant.
