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Forthcoming Billie Holiday biopic, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, will be released on February 12, 2021 via Paramount Pictures.
The film’s release date means it will hit cinemas just before the Oscar-qualifying cut-off date on February 28. On its opening weekend, it will likely compete at the box office with Disney/Marvel’s Eternals and an as-yet-untitled rom-com from Universal.
The United States vs. Billie Holiday stars singer-songwriter Andra Day as the titular musician. The film will be just her third cinematic appearance, following on from smaller roles in Cars 3 and Marshall. Trevante Rhodes, Garrett Hedlund, Natasha Lyonne and Da’Vine Joy Randolph round out the biopic’s main cast.
The biopic was conceived by a number of highly acclaimed African-American creatives. Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks penned the film’s script. It is her first screenplay since 2019’s critically lukewarm Native Son. The biopic is directed by Lee Daniels, best known for his work on The Butler and Monster’s Ball.
“With the world’s eyes forced to look at the centuries-old oppression of Black people, I hope The United States Vs. Billie Holiday will add to this important conversation by shining a light on systemic racism and social injustice,” Daniels said in a statement earlier this year.
Paramount Pictures acquired the distribution rights to the biopic in July, reportedly paying an 8-figure sum.
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