EXCLUSIVE: Lifetime‘s Gloria Gaynor biopic has solid Tony Award winner Joaquina Kalukango (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) within the main function because the Queen of Disco. Lance Gross (Tyler Perry’s Home of Payne) may also star as Gaynor’s husband, Linwood Simon, in I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story from Robin Roberts Presents.
The film will air in 2025 as a part of the community’s Voices of a Lifetime slate, which options the beforehand introduced titles, Mary J. Blige’s Household Affair and Can You Really feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story.
Moreover, Gaynor will write and document an authentic music for the licensed biopic that follows her 50-year profession within the music trade. “It should chronicle her rise to fame, from her humble beginnings to changing into some of the iconic voices in music historical past,” touts Lifetime.
Alongside together with her new music, I Will Survive will function lots of her best hits together with the titular observe launched in 1978 and was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. The biopic additionally delves into the deeply private challenges Gaynor confronted, together with overcoming her lengthy and tumultuous marriage to a controlling husband.
The movie reunites govt producer Roberts with Kalukango who additionally starred in Roberts’ Emmy Award-nominated film music biopic, Mahalia.
In step with Lifetime’s Broader Focus initiative, I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story is helmed by girls in key roles and produced by Rock’n Robin Productions with Roberts, Linda Berman, and Gloria Gaynor serving as govt producers; Betsy Schechter co-produces. Alicia Okay. Harris directs from a script written by Njeri Brown and Jane Espenson.
