Lifetime sets its spring slate of movies with back-to-back original films featuring top names, beginning on Saturday, March 11 with Girl in the Closet, starring Tami Roman (Truth Be Told, The Ms. Pat Show) and multi-platinum artist Remy Ma, inspired by actual events of a young girl who was imprisoned in a basement and closet by her own aunt.
Keshia Knight Pulliam (A New Orleans Noel) headlines The Hillsdale Adoption Scam premiering on Saturday, March 18, inspired by the story of a couple who turn to adoption only to discover the baby they were waiting for was all part of an elaborate scam to steal their money.
Mena Suvari (American Woman) stars as a successful business woman whose life begins to unravel after welcoming the sister she never knew she had into her life in Twisted Sister, premiering Friday, March 24. Tamala Jones (Castle) pulls double duty as executive producer and star of Every Breath She Takes, premiering Saturday, March 25.
The movie also stars Tisha Campbell (Uncoupled), Brian White, (The Black Hamptons) and Jackée Harry (Days of our Lives) and is the story of a woman who begins to question if her late husband is really deceased or if she is on the brink of losing her mind.
On Easter Sunday, April 9, Tatyana Ali (Fresh Prince of Bel Air) stars in the biopic Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story, telling the inspirational story of Mitchell who created the influential Black youth program Girls Who Brunch.
Finally, Michael Michele (Ali, ER) and Savannah Lee Smith (Gossip Girl) star in the teen drinking drama Drunk, Driving, and 17 premiering Saturday, April 15.
These movies join previously announced Black Girl Missing starring Garcelle Beauvais debuting Saturday, March 4, and Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story from executive producer TD Jakes with Grammy® winners Stephanie Mills and Erica Campbell on Saturday, April 8.
Full descriptions of the new movies are available below. All films debut at 8/7c.
GIRL IN THE CLOSET STARS TAMI ROMAN, REMY MA, BRIELLE OLIVER, DAIJAH PETERS SATURDAY, MARCH 11
Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story tells the story of reality TV star Birdie Moore (Stephanie Mills), whose carefully constructed world starts to crumble — like the baked goods that catapulted her to fame — when her family secrets are brought to light. To salvage her legacy, Birdie must let go of the pride that estranged her from her daughter.
Birdie’s pride also prevents her from seeing that her son Gabe Moore (Thomas Miles) is actually a thieving opportunist and that her granddaughter Ella Boudreaux (Keeya King) is just a lost twenty-something trying to build up her life after some missteps.
While pride helped drive Birdie’s success, it also made her blind to what was happening around her. Will Birdie finally be able to see and admit the truth, or face the consequences of her pride?
Pride: A Seven Deadly Sins Story is produced by Neshama Entertainment, T.D. Jakes Enterprises, DNA Media Group and RobinHood Productions in association with MarVista Entertainment. T.D. Jakes, Derrick Williams, and Shaun Robinson serve as executive producers along with Larry Grimaldi, Hannah Pillemer and Fernando Szew for MarVista Entertainment, and Arnie Zipursky and Suzanne Berger for Neshama.
Pride is directed by Troy Scott from a script written by Felicia Brooker. Award-winning composer and music director, Ray Chew, is the movie’s composer.
In addition to Stephanie Mills, Thomas Miles and Keeya King, the movie also stars Lucia Walters (Virgin River) as Shanice; and Jaime M. Callica (Ruthless) as Khalil.
The Seven Deadly Sins movie anthology is inspired by novels from author Victoria Christopher Murray, who is a consulting producer on Pride.
Tatyana Ali stars in Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story, the emotional true story of best-selling author and inspirational speaker Ni’Cola Mitchell, who after experiencing sexual violence as a young girl, founded an organization dedicated to saving at risk girls from abuse and exploitation.
Ni’Cola Mitchell (Tatyana Ali), successful author, publisher and speaker, realizes at a book signing that her calling is to help disadvantaged girls. Ni’Cola understands what it is like to overcome huge hurdles in life including a difficult childhood and a cancer diagnosis, and after putting her own writing career on hold, she launches Girls Who Brunch, events designed to make young women feel seen and empowered.
With the support of her sister Nene (Nadine Whiteman Roden) and daughters Diamond (Kudakwashe Rutendo) and Destani (Mikalah Reid-Beckette), she pours everything she has into the organization, including her own money and mobilizes volunteers, coaches and community leaders to help host events.
Ni’Cola is named A Woman of Worth by L’Oréal and sponsorship opportunities begin to come in, helping Girls Who Brunch expand nationally and travel to dozens of cities across the country, reaching tens of thousands of girls in the process.
Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story is produced by Champlin Media. Executive producers are Barbara Fisher, Tom Berry, Suzanne Chapman and Ni’Cola Mitchell. Producers are Adam Gowland, Jordana Aarons and Cassandra Keenan. Alpha Nicky directs from a script written by Adam Rockoff.
DRUNK, DRIVING, AND 17 STARS MICHAEL MICHELE AND SAVANNAH LEE SMITH SATURDAY, APRIL 15
Inspired by true events, Drunk, Driving, and 17 tells the story of the tragic consequences of underage drinking and social hosting, where adults allow their children to host parties with alcohol with the belief they are safer drinking at home.
17-year-old Kim (Savannah Lee Smith, Gossip Girl) is every parent’s dream – she’s an honor student, popular, responsible, and bound for Stanford. But when she sees her boyfriend Dan flirting with another girl, Kim makes the worst decision of her life.
In the blink of an eye, Kim wrecks the car, her life, and almost kills a classmate in a head-on collision. While Kim is responsible for her own actions, Dan’s parents, Martha (Michael Michele, Ali, ER) and Tim also face scrutiny and liability by the town and police for allowing alcohol to be served to minors at their home.
Drunk, Driving, and 17 is produced by Swirl Films and Big Dreams Entertainment. Leslie Greif, Michele Samit and Ronnie Clemmer serve as executive producers. Russ Parr directs from a script written by Amber Benson and Richard Kletter.
