"The United States vs. Billie Holiday" is out on Feb. 26

"Rise Up" singer Andra Day will debut on screen as Lady Day in the movie "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" on Feb. 26.  Lee Daniels directs this highly anticipated Hulu exclusive, which is  as much about the Blues legend's personal demons as it is about the struggle with the demon of racism. The  story was adapted from the book "Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs" by British writer Johann Hari that profiles Hoilday's heroine addiction during the early days of the drug crisis in America and other countries.    

Suzan-Lori Parks wrote the screen play that centers on Holiday's song "Strange Fruit" that the government tried to censor through harrassing and punishing the singer who used it as a form of protest agaisnt lyunching.  They used Holiday's  drug habit to take her down when she would not stop "making trouble" with the song that she refused to stop singing.  This is the show the runners' innterpretation of how life unfolded for the blues great in this dramatic biopic. 

Fittingly released during Black History Month, viewers will be educated about how Billie Holiday was an activist in her own way and the parallels to how Blacks were treated compared to modern day events.  It will als reveal Andra Day has another calling -- acting. 

VIEW THE POWERFUL TRAILER BELOW where Day is equally strong in exercising her acting and vocal chops.

   

Hulu said this in a press release after acquiring rights to the film back in January:

The legendary Billie Holiday, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, spent much of her career being adored by fans across the globe. Beginning in the 1940's in New York City, the federal government targeted Holiday in a growing effort to escalate and racialize the war on drugs, ultimately aiming to stop her from singing her controversial and heart-wrenching ballad, "Strange Fruit." Led by Oscar(R) nominated director Lee Daniels and introducing Grammy(R) nominated singer-songwriter Andra Day, THE UNITED STATES vs. BILLIE HOLIDAY unapologetically presents the icon's complicated, irrepressible life. Screenplay Writer Suzan-Lori Parks, the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, pens this intimate tale of a fierce trailblazer whose defiance through music helped usher in the civil rights movement. NAACP Image Award(R) Nominee Trevante Rhodes and Emmy(R) Nominee Natasha Lyonne co-star along with Garrett Hedlund, Miss Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Evan Ross, Tyler James Williams, Tone Bell, and Erik LaRay Harvey. "Whether you are new to the story and legacy of Billie Holiday or know every note she ever sang, I do hope our celebration of this complex woman does justice to a great musical legend and civil rights activist whose artistry resonates as well today, as it did 80 years ago. Hulu releasing this film and giving it a platform to be seen nationwide is a blessing, because as recent events reveal, our country has much work to do in fulfilling its promise of a more perfect union," said Lee Daniels. Additionally, the first trailer was released today showcasing the first footage of Andra Day as Billie Holiday. Link to the trailer: https://youtu.be/USi-ppCfxEA New Slate Ventures, Lee Daniels Entertainment, Roth Kirschenbaum Films are producing with Jordan Fudge, Lee Daniels, Pamela Oas Williams, Tucker Tooley, Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum. Executive producers include Hilary Shor, Jeremy Allen, Patty Long, Johann Hari, Cassian Elwes, Mark Bomback and Dennis Stratton.