Marsai Martin landed a role in Amazon’s upcoming American Girl live-action special Melody.
The actress, who plays Diane Johnson on Black-ish, the whip smart and dry humored twin of Jack, will play the titular character in the special. Set in Detroit during the 1963 civil rights movement, the show centers around Melody, a 10-year-old experiencing racism and inequality around her. According to Deadline, the show will include the Birmingham church bombing and events that will lead Melody to question her beliefs.
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It’s no surprise Martin won the role. The young actress earned a NAACP Image Award and Young Artist Award for her role in Black-ish. Martin also recently appeared in the 35th anniversary celebration of Dreamgirls featuring the original cast of the Tony-winning musical.
Melody is the first of four live-action American Girl specials that fall under a multi-year, million-dollar deal Amazon made earlier this year with Mattel. The show is executive produced by Common and written and executive produced by Roots writer Alison McDonald. The special is set to premiere this fall on Amazon Prime.