CNN Films examines the captivating story of the iconic Luther Vandross as he paves his own course to become one of the most decorated and influential artists of all time in "Luther: Never Too Much."

From award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter (CNN Films' "John Lewis: Good Trouble") and produced by Raindog Films and Foxxhole Productions for Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Publishing, in association with Trilogy Films, the film will premiere on January 1, 2025 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on CNN.

"Luther: Never Too Much" chronicles the story of Vandross from his formative years in Harlem, appearing in the Apollo Theater house band and the first episodes of "Sesame Street," through his ascendance to become the indisputable master of the love song. Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, Vandross tells his own story along with the voices of his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack.

The film unpacks the nuances and ironies of Vanndross' storied career, exploring his personal life, health struggles, and a lifelong desire to be respected and understood.

"It was thrilling to explore Luther's musical genius while making this film," said director Dawn Porter. "We combed through hundreds of hours of interviews, concert footage and images to develop this one-of-a-kind portrait," Porter added "I'm so fortunate to have had the opportunity to tell this story at a time when so much else seems divisive, Luther's story is joy personified."

"CNN Films has a successful tradition of celebrating the New Year by showcasing music documentaries, and Dawn Porter has beautifully illuminated the public and private life of Luther Vandross, giving CNN audiences a front row seat to celebrate his extraordinary songbook and enduring legacy," said Amy Entelis, executive vice president for talent, CNN Originals and creative development, CNN Worldwide.

Directed and executive produced by Dawn Porter, "Luther: Never Too Much" is produced by Trish D Chetty and Ged Doherty for Raindog Films; Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner for Foxxhole Productions; and Leah Smith for Trilogy Films. Executive producers are Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction; Tom Mackay and Richard Story for Sony Music Entertainment; Jon Platt and Brian Monaco for Sony Music Publishing; Colin Firth for Raindog Films; and Phil Thornton on behalf of Foxxhole Productions. Sony Music Vision is the distributor.

To celebrate the film premiere, Luther Vandross' previously unreleased soulful rendition of the Beatles' "Michelle" is available now. The song will be one of many included on Never Too Much: Greatest Hits, a new compilation of music by Vandross which was released on Dec. 13.

"Luther: Never Too Much" premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival to a standing ovation and critical acclaim. Giant Pictures released the film theatrically in select cities this fall. The film will also premiere on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and Max in 2025.

ABOUT CNN ORIGINALS:

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Presents, and the newly formed CNN Studios, an internal production studio which creates long-form programming for CNN's global platforms. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award for "Navalny."

Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy Award-winning "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown," five time Emmy nominee, "Apollo 11," directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Emmy nominated "Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico," the Emmy Award-nominated "Decades Series": The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s," executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; "The Last Movie Stars," directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; Grammy Award nominee "Little Richard: I Am Everything," directed by Lisa Cortes; "The Many Lives of Martha Stewart," "This is Life with Lisa Ling," Primetime Emmy and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, "RBG" directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; "See It Loud: The History of Black Television," executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; and a host of others.

ABOUT WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY:

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, Max, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Film Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Espanol, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com.

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ABOUT TMZ INVESTIGATES:

TMZ Investigates dives deep into stories of celebrities, crime and pop culture, with surprising twists unearthed from interviews, videos and a bank of sources. The series is executive produced by Harvey Levin, Ryan Regan, Don Nash, Charles Latibeaudiere and Jess Fusco, with co-executive producer Susan Favre. Viewers can watch on Hulu, Fox.com, Tubi and On Demand. On Demand episodes are available for customers of Cox Contour TV, DIRECTV, DISH, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Optimum, Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, XFINITY, YouTube TV and many more.

Editor's Note: Information used in this report obtained from CNN and TMZ publicity departments.