New Trailer & Photos To Lifetime’s Mahalia Starring Danielle Brooks

Lifetime has released a new trailer and photos to Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, starring Tony Award nominee, SAG and Grammy Award-winning actress Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as the iconic gospel legend and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson. The film is slated to air in April 2021.

Tony winner Kenny Leon (Broadway’s A Raisin in the Sun, Fences, Lifetime’s Steel Magnolias) will direct. The pic comes from Rock’n Robin Productions and Lincoln Square Productions. Roberts will executive produce alongside Linda Berman.

Born in New Orleans, Mahalia began singing at an early age and went on to become one of the most revered gospel figures in U.S. history, melding her music with the civil rights movement. Her recording of the song “Move on Up a Little Higher” sold millions of copies, skyrocketing her to international fame and gave her the opportunity to perform in front of a racially integrated audience at the prestigious Carnegie Hall and at John F. Kennedy’s inaugural ball.

An active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, Jackson sang at numerous rallies, including the March on Washington in 1963 alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in hopes that her music would encourage and inspire racial equality. Jackson’s story will continue to strengthen the need for more stories about Black legends that are often overlooked.

The movie marks a reunion for Leon and Brooks. The duo previously worked together on the stage production of Much Ado About Nothing.