Because Lifetime ain’t the place for “No More Drama.”
What’s the 411, you ask? Well, Mary J. Blige is officially confirmed to executive produce a film based on her 1992 breakthrough hit “Real Love.”
A Lifetime coming-of-age drama, Real Love will follow Kendra, a studious teen who sets off on her own for the first time to attend college in upstate New York. But when she meets her film class partner Ben, her plans are thrown for a loop. Despite disapproving parents, financial hardships, and competition to become top students, Kendra and Ben fall for one another and “ultimately learn the meaning of real love,” per the movie’s press release.
The film will be written by Sonja Warfield and Rachel Ingram. Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson will executive produce alongside Blige for her production banner, Blue Butterfly, with Jordan and John Davis also executive producing (it’s a family affair!). Most important, however, the movie will feature additional music from Blige’s catalog.
Mary J. Blige. JOHN LAMPARSKI/GETTY IMAGES
“I wrote ‘Real Love’ based on my real-life experiences and my fans connected to it in a deeply personal way,” Blige said in a statement. “It’s exciting to now use this song and my music to create a new story by way of film, continuing to build on a pillar of the foundation of my production company, Blue Butterfly. My passions for acting and music now include developing diverse stories with music as the backdrop.”
Blige is no stranger to Lifetime. She executive produced the 2020 original movie The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel with Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott, and headlined the 2013 Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz biopic Betty & Coretta opposite Angela Bassett.
Most recently, Blige executive produced her 2021 Amazon Studios documentary, Mary J. Blige’s My Life.
“Mary is one of those phenomenal talents that can do it all,” Tanya Lopez, EVP of scripted content at Lifetime, said of reteaming with the Grammy Award–winning diva — and walking disco ball — in a statement. “We are so thrilled to be able to partner with her again on this new opportunity to bring her music to life in the form of a movie that we know audiences will love.”