Music

John Legend Will Play Jesus in NBC's 'Jesus Christ Superstar Live'

Jesus is black, and his name is John Legend.

John Legend
Image via Getty/Nigel Waldron
Getty

If you didn't know, Jesus was black, and now he will be played by an actual black man. John Legend will be taking on the role of God's only son in NBC's revival of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Between tackling social issues in his music videos, and preparing for the birth of his and wife Chrissy Teigen's second child, Legend will have his hands preparing for this divine role.

The production of the three-hour live event will be executive produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Legend will join a talented cast that includes Alice Cooper as King Herod. “It’s such a powerful, meaningful musical and I’m humbled to be part of this performance. We’ve already formed an incredible team, and, as we finish casting, I’m certain we will put together some of the greatest talents around to do this work justice," Legend told Deadline.

This is the latest live broadcast in NBC's list of televised musicals, with recent productions including Peter Pan, The Sound of Music, and The Wiz. The show will appropriately air on April 1, Easter Sunday. Let's just hope for Chrissy's sake Legend doesn't start developing a God complex...although, she'd probably have some witty way of getting back at him that she'd share with everyone on Twitter anyway.

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