Mo’Nique Hicks and Lee Daniels mark their first collaboration in over a decade with The Reading, a thriller film set for BET+. With Hicks as the star and Daniels as the executive producer, the movie is written and directed by Courtney Glaudé.
The two talents shared mutual grievances after their Academy Award-winning film, Precious, in 2009. In April 2022, the feud between Hicks and Daniels ended with a public reunion during the comedienne’s Mo’Nique and Friends: April Fools Day with The Queen of Comedy event at St. George Theatre in New York City’s Staten Island.
According to an official description, The Reading follows a “recently widowed Emma Leeden (Mo’Nique), who details the loss of her family in her new book ‘Invasion.’ To generate press, Emma agrees to a staged reading by 19-year-old Sky Brown (Chastity Sereal) in Emma’s now fortified home. There’s only one problem, Sky’s spiritual connection is real, and evil emerges in a house they can’t get out of.”
Alongside the comedian and aforementioned actress, the film additionally stars Denisha Hardeman, Ian Haywood, Charlene Brown, Lisa Alavi, and Sara Alavi.
“The Reading is a rollercoaster of a project that I am thrilled to see come to life,” expressed Glaudé in a statement. “I am a fan of the surgical performance by Mo’Nique and the love and commitment from the entire cast during the pandemic. I appreciate the dedication to bringing this, as I was told, ‘sick’ vision of mine to the screen; and of course, Lee Daniels for being crazy enough to Executive Produce the project and believing in me. I can’t wait for the audience to think they know, but have no idea what’s going to happen. I promise you…it’s crazy.”
The Reading premieres on Feb. 2, 2023, only on BET+. Watch the trailer for the film above.