Karrueche Tran has already stacked an Emmy and built a resume that runs from Claws to The Chi. Now she’s reportedly teaming up with Churchy star Mark J.P. Hood for Lifetime’s latest Terry McMillan flick — and the premise is messy in the best way.
On Wednesday, September 24, the Futon Critic dropped the official press release from Lifetime, announcing Terry McMillan Presents: Preach, Pray, Love. The movie premieres Saturday, November 8 at 8/7c as part of the network’s “Love of a Lifetime” event.
The film stars Tran, 37, as Charlisa “Charlie” Jones, a platinum-selling rapper fresh out of prison whose court-ordered community service lands her face-to-face with Pastor Kyrus Owens, played by Hood, 34. Sparks fly, but so does controversy — his congregation questions his priorities, while she wrestles with her public image versus her private search for redemption.
As for the cast, it’s stacked: Tobias Truvillion, B. Simone, Reginae Carter, and Da Brat all round out the ensemble. The movie is directed by Damon Lee, with Tran herself attached as an executive producer. Writers Michael Elliot and Cory Tynan penned the script.
Shortly after the announcement hit the internet, Hood reposted the news on X with the caption: “Another one. 🙏🏿🚀.” In other words, he’s been here before. Like Tran, who starred in Lifetime’s Searching for a Serial Killer: The Regina Smith Story last year, this isn’t his first gig with the network. Hood also appeared in Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Story, which premiered on Lifetime before landing on Netflix.
Preach, Pray, Love is the latest entry under the “Terry McMillan Presents” banner, Lifetime’s relatively new franchise of original romance films shepherded by the bestselling author behind Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
The partnership kicked off in 2024 with titles like Tempted by Love (starring Garcelle Beauvais) and Forever (with Taye Diggs and Meagan Good), packaging McMillan’s signature themes of love, family, and second chances into made-for-TV movies. Preach, Pray, Love is billed as the fourth installment in the slate.
