Take my hand, precious Lord, we’ve got some more Mahalia Jackson biopic news to tell (on the mountain)!
Jill Scott (Why Did I Get Married, The First Wives Club) will star in an upcoming biopic about the iconic gospel singer called Mahalia!, which will be executive produced by Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah, Variety reports.
Shakim Compere and Holly Carter will also serve as executive producers and the team will have access to Jackson’s entire music catalog.
More details on the film, via Variety:
The film, based on Darlene Donloe’s biography Mahalia Jackson, will tell the true story of the artist and her entertainment career — with career highlights like becoming the first gospel artist to sing at Carnegie Hall — as well as her behind-the-scenes political and social work alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy. The screenplay was written by Richard Hocutt, Mark Gould and Tricia Woodgett. Hocutt and Woodgett will also produce the film, after bringing project to Carter.
“This is such an incredibly important story to tell and we’re thrilled to work with Jamie on the project,” Latifah said. “Shakim and I are also looking forward to reteaming with our ‘Clark Sisters’ producing partner, Holly Carter, to share Mahalia’s inspiring journey to becoming the queen of Gospel music.”
This news comes shortly after another project following the life and career of Jackson starring Danielle Brooks was announced. This actually reminds me of the fact that there are two concurrent Aretha biopics that are set to debut in the near future.
The more ways to celebrate and honor our powerhouse vocalists, the merrier! Still, I will try my best to make sure the reporting makes potential audiences as non-confused as possible. Prayers up.
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