Zoe Saldana has boarded Cynthia Mort's upcoming Nina Simone biopic Nina. The actress replaces Mary J. Blige, who dropped out due to financial issues.

The actress will star as the iconic singer-songwriter, who was most famous in the 50's and later became involved in the Civil Rights movement. The singer was forced to move out of the country after having tax issues. She died at the age of 70 in 2003. David Oyelowo will play the role of her manager, Clifton Henderson.

Cynthia Mort is directing from her own script. Mark Burton, Barnaby Thompson, Stuart Parr and Ben Latham Jones will be producing.

Zoe Saldana will also be seen in Out of the Furnace and J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated Star Trek 2.