Singer and reality TV star Fantasia Barrino, 26, is slated to play the late legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson (aka The Queen of Gospel). The film will be based off of the 1993 book Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel.
According to the Hollywood Reporter:
The CAA-repped Barrino, who’s biggest post-Idol gig to date was playing Celie in the Broadway version of The Color Purple, will portray Jackson on her journey from abject poverty in New Orleans to her rise as a global figure in gospel and early supporter of Martin Luther King, Jr. The singer died in 1972 at the age of 60.
The film will be directed by Euzhan Palcy (A Dry White Season) from a script by Jim Evering, and goes into production in April in Pittsburgh and Chicago for a December release.
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