A Raisin in the Sun

World Premiere: Monday, February 25 8/7c on ABC


Sean Combs, who reprises the role of Walter Lee, Jr. which brought him acclaim, stars in the highly anticipated, special three-hour television movie adaptation from Sony Pictures Television of "A Raisin in the Sun," along with the cast of the award-winning Broadway revival who recreate their roles for the new film, including Emmy and Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad, four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Tony Award nominee Sanaa Lathan, plus "ER" star John Stamos. Based on Lorraine Hansberry's play that inspired a generation.

"A Raisin in the Sun" tells the story of a family living and struggling on Chicago's South Side in the 1950s. A fiercely moving portrait of people whose hopes and dreams are constantly deferred, Ms. Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway. It premiered in 1959 with a cast that included Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ruby Dee and Louis Gossett Jr. The critically acclaimed work was honored with the 1959 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best American play. A Columbia Pictures feature with the same cast followed in 1961. The classic, still-relevant story now will be showcased in this totally new television movie adaptation.