Grammy award winning singer and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino may soon add Oscar nominee to her list of accomplishments as she is preparing for her first feature film role in a biopic about Gospel music legend Mahalia Jackson. Barrino, who previously played herself in a TV movie and took on the role of Celie in the Broadway version of The Color Purple, has reportedly been putting on weight to portray the singer in the film based on a 1993 biography.
With the success of her fellow season 3 AI contestant Jennifer Hudson and her acclaimed Broadway performance, this is definitely a role to look out for. Jackson’s life is what Hollywood biopics are made of; she grew up poor, rose to fame, was an ardent civil rights supporter and died tragically.
The film will be directed by Silver Lion winning director Euzhan Palcy (A Dry White Season) and written by Jim Evering for a December release.
I’m very intrigued to see Barrino’s film debut and, despite hoping for a film adaptation of The Color Purple musical, this is a very juicy role for the singer. It is also great to see the criminally underrated director Palcy back behind the camera. Hopefully, this film turns out well.
Do you think Fantasia can follow in Jennifer Hudson’s footsteps?