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Lionsgate Says Amen to Church Boy |
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Known for his gospel music, Kirk Franklin makes his screen debut in the film based on his life, also co-producing and composing the soundtrack.
Lionsgate is partnering with gospel music icon Kirk Franklin to develop Church Boy, a screen version of his life story. Franklin will star in the film and compose its soundtrack, which will include old favorites in addition to several brand new songs.
Franklin will produce Church Boy along with Paul Hall (Pride, Johnson Family Vacation, Higher Learning), Bobby Smith Jr. (screenwriter, Their Eyes Were Watching God, screenwriter/coproducer Jason’s Lyric), and Emmy Award winning casting director Robi Reed.
The deal continues the expansion of Lionsgate’s portfolio of AfricanAmerican and faithbased properties, such as the Tyler Perry films Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Madea’s Family Reunion, and the upcoming Daddy’s Little Girls; the family drama Akeelah and the Bee; and the film adaptation of bestselling African American novelist Zane’s erotic thriller Additcted.
“We are very excited to welcome Kirk Franklin to the Lionsgate family, said Lionsgate President of Production Mike Paseornek. “Kirk is an incredible talent who has touched countless lives through his music and his spiritual message. To hear his story is to realize how faith and dedication can help a person overcome the most daunting obstacles. With Kirk playing himself and bringing in brand new songs – audiences are sure to be feeling the spirit with Church Boy.”
Church Boy is the rags to riches story of Kirk Franklin, abandoned by his teenage mother and raised by a great aunt in Ft. Worth, Texas. A precocious musical talent, Kirk is directing a church choir by age 11. But as he enters his teens in a tough neighborhood mired in poverty and rife with drugs, street violence, and easy sex, Kirk grows rebellious and loses his way. As his life spirals out of control, Kirk undergoes a dramatic conversion … and begins a remarkable journey towards stardom.
Kirk Franklin is a top-selling gospel artist who, in 1994, came out with his debut album, “Kirk Franklin and the Family,” which introduced elements of R&B, hip hop, rock and pop to traditional gospel. It became the first gospel album to sell more than a million units. To date, Franklin has recorded six albums, earning three Grammy Awards; 11 Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association; and 33 Stellar Awards, honoring African American gospel artists.
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