Billy Preston: That's the Way God Planned It

Overview

With his signature gospel sound on the Hammond B3, Billy Preston doublehandedly elevated the greatest artists of his time – from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, from Aretha Franklin to Eric Clapton, from Ray Charles to Barbra Streisand to Sly and the Family Stone. In our film, we explore Billy's career and influence on generations of musicians, as he scored several number one hits of his own and became one of the most sought-after musicians in the world. He did all of this as a soul divided -- by his deep roots in the church, in constant conflict with his identity as a gay Black man, searching for a family of his own that would accept him for who he was.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

February 20, 2026

Original language

English

Spoken languages

English

Countries

United States of America

Production

Impact Partners,Homegrown Pictures,Abramorama,Chicago Media Project,Polygram Entertainment,White Horse Pictures,Play/Action Pictures,Concord Originals,Sobey Road Entertainment

Cast

Billy Preston,Ringo Starr,Olivia Harrison,Eric Clapton,Gloria Jones,Suzanne de Passe,Merry Clayton,Billy Porter,Cory Henry,Robert Margouleffand 4 more

Director

Paris Barclay

Writer

Paris Barclay,Cheo Hodari Coker

Producer

Paris Barclay,Charles Hopkins,Nicholas Ferrall,Dave Knott,Daniel Shaw,Sophia Dilley,Jonathan Clyde,Cassidy Hartmann,Geralyn White Dreyfous,Jenny Raskin,G. Marq Roswell,Scott Pascucci,Marie Therese Guirgis,Jeanne Elfant Festa,Nigel Sinclair,Lauren Driscoll,Stephanie Allain,Jeffrey Lurie,Steven H. Cohen,Debbie Buss,Paula M. Froehle,John Keller,Olivia Harrison,Regina K. Scully,Ben J. Murphy,Meadow Fund,Brad Buss,Jody Gerson,Bruce Resnikoff,John Driscoll,Andrew Trapani,Cheo Hodari Coker

Cinematography

Carmen Delaney,Ernesto Lomeli

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

View on IMDb