Toni Braxton to star in Lifetime movie “Faith Under Fire.”
According to Deadline, the network has given the green light to the original film based on the book Prepared for a Purpose: An Inspiring True Story of Faith, Courage and Compassion in Crisis by Tuff and Alex Tresniowski.
Braxton will both star in and executive produce the project.
In the film, Antoinette Tuff, a struggling single mom from Georgia (played by Braxton) heroically averts tragedy, saving hundreds after she convinces a deranged gunman — who stormed an elementary school in Decatur, Georgia, in 2013 — to surrender.
Shortly after arriving to work at the Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, Tuff, the school’s bookkeeper, was in the front office when Michael Hill (played by Trevor Morgan), a young man with a history of mental illness, managed to sneak in armed with an AK-47 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The school immediately went into lock down. Antoinette, who was left unattended with Trevor, used her own life struggles to connect with him, later resulting in his surrender, despite repeated threats to kill everyone. Her selflessness, courage and empathy still resonates with people today.
Starring alongside Braxton is a familiar face Yaya DaCosta, who is set to play Kendra McCray — the 911 operator who relayed messages from Tuff to police on the scene. You may recall that DaCosta stepped into the role of the late Whitney Houston for the Lifetime biopic Whitney. The Angela Bassett directed work highlighted Houston’s rise to fame in the late ’80s and early ’90s, as well as her volatile relationship with Bobby Brown.
“Faith Under Fire” marks a return to Lifetime for Braxton, whose biopic Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart drew record ratings for the network, making it the biggest success since the 2015 premiere of “Whitney.”
The film is currently slated to debut in 2018. Will you be watching? Sound off in the comment section below.
