Oprah Winfrey is reviving the revered story – The Color Purple – for a new musical film. Winfrey is producing the film alongside Scott Sanders, the producer for the original 2005 Broadway production and the original film’s composer, Quincy Jones, and director, Steven Spielberg. The star-studded cast was rounded out just yesterday with Fantasia Taylor joining Colman Domingo, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Corey Hawkins, and H.E.R.
The fresh cinematic re-imagining of The Color Purple will feature magical realism, music and dancing to tell the story, is said to delight lovers of earlier versions of The Color Purple as well as introduce these beloved characters to an entirely new generation of fans. The new musical feature of The Color Purple is a screen adaptation of the stage musical which has been recognized with Tony Award, Grammy Award and Emmy Award wins.
Playing the iconic roles are Fantasia Taylor as Celie, Halle Bailey as Young Nettie, Danielle Brooks as Sofia, Colman Domingo as Mister, Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Corey Hawkins as Harpo with Singer-songwriter H.E.R. making her acting debut as Squeak.
The Color Purple is a story of triumph over adversity and is one of the most beloved, celebrated and inspiring family stories in our culture today – it has touched the hearts of millions of people around the world.
Blitz Bazawule will serve as the films director. Blitz’s feature directorial debut The Burial Of Kojo premiered on Netflix in 2019 via Ava DuVernay’s Array Films. He was also a director on Ava’s Cherish the Day for Own. He also co-directed Beyoncé’s Black Is King which earned him a Grammy nomination in 2020.
Marcus Gardley (The Chi) penned the script, based on Alice Walker’s book, the 1985 Warner Bros. Pictures film, and the stage musical. Choreography will be by Fatima Robinson
The film will be executive produced by Alice Walker (author of the novel), Rebecca Walker, Mara Jacobs, Carla Gardini, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Fell.
The Color Purple will come to theaters around the globe in December 2023. Production begins this March in Atlanta.
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