Fantasia, Tank, CeCe Winans and more pack Tyler Perry’s ‘The Gospel of Christmas’

The Netflix holiday film brings together major names from gospel and R&B, with Kirk Franklin producing the music.

Tyler Perry said earlier this year that he was slowing down and preparing for life in Puerto Rico. He didn’t say he was done releasing movies this year.

Shortly after the release of “Doing Life” and “Why Did I Get Married Again?” Perry is going back to church with a holiday film for Netflix, “The Gospel of Christmas,” starring Fantasia and Tank.

The film is set to premiere on Nov. 11, and Perry is ready for viewers to come back with him to the pews and the house of the Lord.

“I have taken y’all to a family reunion, on a college road trip, to prison — now come on go with me to church!!!” Perry wrote on X announcing the film.

Tank, who currently stars on “Reasonable Doubt” alongside Morris Chestnut, stars as Isaac, a struggling pastor who inherits his family’s church in a troubled New York neighborhood. Fantasia plays his wife, Rebecca. According to Netflix’s tagline, Isaac faces questions about his faith while trying to protect his church, family and community.

If Fantasia and Tank weren’t the only two names from the music world involved, “The Gospel of Christmas” features a who’s who of stars from the world of gospel, including Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, Smokie Norful, Jekalyn Carr, the Clark Sisters, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Ann Nesby, Le’Andria Johnson, Hezekiah Walker, CeCe Winans and Shirley Caesar. The film also includes Chanté Moore, Ricco Ross, John Gray, Carl Lentz, Mason Douglas, Lauren Chanel and Eric Wiltz in the cast.

Kirk Franklin produced the music for the film. Perry wrote and directed the project and serves as a producer alongside Angi Bones and Tony L. Strickland.

“The Gospel of Christmas” marks Fantasia’s latest major screen role following her acclaimed performance as Celie in the 2023 musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.” The “American Idol” season three winner received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture in 2024.