The purple color hits theaters December 25
The purple color the musical film is almost here.
Monday, Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first trailer for the new adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel and the Broadway musical it inspired, which was previously released as a non-musical film in 1985 directed by Steven Spielberg.
In this version, directed by Blitz Bazawule, Fantasia Barrino plays Celie in her feature debut, while Danielle Brooks plays Sofia among a star-studded cast that also includes Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey, Louis Gossett Jr., Corey Hawkins, David Alan Grier, Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, HER, Ciara, Jon Batiste and Deon Cole.
A press release for the trailer calls the film “a bold new take on the beloved classic” about “the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share an unbreakable bond.”
Oprah Winfrey, who starred as Sofia in the 1985 film alongside Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, is a producer behind the project. At CinemaCon 2023 in April, Winfrey, 69, called overseeing the new production a “full-loop moment” that “holds a lot of personal meaning” to her.
Related: Oprah Winfrey Calls Out The purple color the “most important thing that happened to me”
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“The purple color in 1985 was the biggest and most important thing that ever happened to me and continues to be,” she said onstage, adding, “Now we’re doing a brand new version that could only come thanks to the most perfect director”, in Bazawule, 41, who made his directorial debut with 2018 Kojo’s funeral.
In May 2022, Winfrey shared that she was emotional while visiting the set of the new film in Georgia with her friend Gayle King.
She recapped her visit to the set for OprahDaily.com, explaining that the crew “brings a reimagined and evolved version of the Broadway show to a new generation of audiences. If you loved the original, I guarantee you’ll rejoice when you see this version.”
“I unexpectedly burst into tears of joy at the very first sight of the talented Danielle Brooks, who played Sofia on Broadway and now in this reincarnation. It was as if the baton had truly passed in one of most special moments of my life. We both hugged and cried together,” Winfrey wrote.
“When Gayle and I saw the actors perform the finale, we couldn’t help but give a standing ovation,” she added. “We almost ruined the stage with our applause and shouting, but they were so amazing it felt like we were at a concert.”
Related:Taraji P. Henson Calls the Shooting The purple color Music Film ‘Empowering’
Winfrey said after the cast and crew filmed the final scene scheduled for that day “everyone started dancing the electric slide and singing”. She continued, “Everyone I spoke to, from the film crew to the hair and makeup crew, was thrilled to be there. It was a happy set, and it wasn’t just the start of a three-month shoot.”
Marcus Gardley wrote The purple colorbased on the book of the same name and the musical by Marsha Norman. Spielberg, 76, is producer of the new musical, starring Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones
The purple color hits theaters December 25.
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