She may be known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, but Mary J. Blige is trying to become the Queen of the Small Screen, too. Days after winning her second Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series award at the 53rd NAACP Image Awards for playing the character Monet Tejada on the Starz drama Power Book II: Ghost, the singer-turned-thespian has announced a partnership with another cable network, Lifetime, to turn one of her most beloved songs into a movie.
Mary J. will executive produce Real Love, an original film for Lifetime inspired by her classic 1992 song "Real Love." It's unknown if MJB will star in the flick, what the plot is or if it will be based on a true story or fictional, but she is leading the creation of this movie through her own production company named Blue Butterfly. Mary is working closely with her production partners Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson to bring this song and project to life on Lifetime.
Real Love will be Blige's second go at executive producing a film. Her first project as EP was the documentary Mary J. Blige’s My Life for Prime Video. That doc was very well done, so she's set the bar high for herself. But we're optimistic that if anyone knows how to tell a Mary J. Blige story about her life or her music, it's Mary J. Blige herself.
"Real Love" was the second single released from Mary's iconic debut album What's The 411? in the summer of 1992. Co-written and co-produced by Cory Rooney and Mark Morales (aka Prince Markie Dee of The Fat Boys), the track sampled Audio Two's "Top Billin'" and epitomized hip-hop soul. The song would go on to become Mary's first No. 1 song on the R&B charts and a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It's also one of her fans' absolute favorite anthems. (Go see Mary in concert and hear the audience outsing her when this song comes on to see what we mean.)
With What's The 411? and "Real Love" both turning 30 this year and her new album Good Morning Gorgeous making waves, Mary J. Blige already had a lot to celebrate in 2022. This announcement of Real Love the movie is just one more thing to add to the list. Stay tuned for more information about Real Love on Lifetime as it becomes available in the coming months.