John Legend attends The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2026 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 19, 2026, in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation)You may be more used to John Legend onstage behind his piano, but in the new film The Road Home, he takes on the role of civil rights activist Harry Belafonte. “I was honored to know Mr. Belafonte as my friend, mentor and collaborator in the struggle for justice,” he tells Variety. I count it a privilege to be entrusted with the role of Harry Belafonte in this special film.” South African actor Thabo Andrew Rametsi will be playing Masekela, Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo will play Makeba and Ripley‘s Johnny Flynn will play Simon.