Zoe Saldana's role as African-American singer-activist Nina Simone in an upcoming biography film has received a loud disapproval from the public and from Simone's family as well. This comes amid an outcry in Hollywood for racial diversity.

Since the unveiling of the film's poster last week Wednesday, there has been an outpour of criticisms against Saldana's starring as Simone.

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"It's disrespectful and demonstrates the depth of the ignorance of the person making the film of the very subject of the film," said Miriam Petty, Northwestern University Assistant Professor, in an interview with Associates Press. She further stated that financially supporting the movie may not be a very good idea since biopics are known to "become the last word."

The official Twitter account for the estate and legacy of Dr. Nina Simone has also shown displeasure with Saldana's portrayal of the High Priestess of Soul. In a Tweet last week Tuesday, @NinaSimoneMusic stated, "@zoesaldana Cool story but please take Nina's name out of your mouth. For the rest of your life."

Simone's daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, has however comes to Saldana's defense. Kelly told CNN that "It's clear she [Saldana] brought her best to this project, but unfortunately she's being attacked when she's not responsible for any of the writing or the lies."

According to Kelly, the plot of this movie is actually the problem and not Saldana's lighter skin.

"The project has been tainted from the very beginning," Kelly said. "Clearly, it is not the truth about my mother's life and everyone knows that." The movie's focus is on Simone's relationship with Clifton Henderson, her manager. But Kelly claims the two were never an item.

Simone rose to fame in the late 50s and has become an iconic pop, R&B, soul, gospel and folk singer during her time. She popularized the singles "I loves you, Porgy," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "I Put a Spell on You," "To Love Somebody," and "Feeling Good," among others. She was diagnosed of breast cancer in 1993 and died because of it in 2003.

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