So what should fans expect from Toni Braxton's big-screen debut?

It's endearing," the R&B songbird said of "Kingdom Come," her first feature film.

As we previously reported, Braxton stars alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Vivica A. Fox and L.L. Cool J, and the flick is expected to arrive early next year (see [article id="1426551"]"Toni Braxton Joins L.L. Cool J In 'Kingdom Come'"[/article]).

"It's a dark comedy that shows the comedic side of what happens at funerals," Braxton explained to MTV News. "It's not 'Soul Food,' but it's endearing." [RealVideo]

The silver-screen debut follows on the heels of Braxton's 1998 turn on Broadway in "Beauty And The Beast."

Of course, Braxton isn't about to chuck her music career. The

singer's latest effort,

"The Heat," has already gone platinum after 16 weeks in stores. Success was hardly a sure thing for Braxton, who had been sitting out of the record biz since releasing "Secrets" in 1996.

[article id="1440691"]"I was gone for so long, longer than I had anticipated,"[/article] Braxton said of her absence from record stores. [article id="1440691"]"It's like two, three years, in between [albums], so in the two years that I was gone, music has changed. It's like 20 years passed, so I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure of what type of music to do. I had to be true to myself, but I wanted to make the music sound current." [RealVideo][/article]

So far so good, as Braxton's "The Heat" has managed to launch two hit singles: the gold-selling "He Wasn't Man Enough," and "Just Be A Man About It," which is currently at number 42 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart.