Grammy winner Toni Braxton is expanding her multi-picture deal with Lifetime by bringing her music to the screen. Following her 2000 anthem He Wasn’t Man Enough, she will headline Breathe Again, a 2026 release inspired by another of her iconic hits. This time, she reunites with Essence Atkins and teams up with Emmy winner Cree Summer for a heartfelt story of resilience, sisterhood, and new beginnings.
The film follows Jennifer (Braxton), Vanessa (Summer), and Evelyn (Atkins), three women who meet as contestants on a reality dating show and suffer heartbreak under the spotlight. What begins as shared rejection transforms into an unlikely friendship that takes them from Los Angeles to Seattle, where they embrace fresh starts and second chances.
Jennifer rediscovers her voice as an artist, Vanessa rebuilds her interior design business while opening her heart to love, and Evelyn confronts her grief by daring to embrace joy again. Along the way, the trio navigates the messy, hilarious realities of life—realizing that while romance may come and go, female friendship is the love story that lasts.
Directed by Stan Brooks and written by Nikita Hamilton, Breathe Again is executive produced by Braxton, Tanya Lopez, Kenneth Crear, and Howard Braunstein for Lifetime.
With both He Wasn’t Man Enough and Breathe Again, Braxton joins a growing trend of artists adapting their music into scripted narratives. It echoes Lifetime’s partnership with Mary J. Blige, who launched a similar series of films based on her most celebrated songs.