From Wicked to Mean Girls, all our favorite Broadway musicals are being adapted into movies these days—and The Color Purple will kick off this trend! The first trailer for this highly-anticipated project is here and it offers a bold new take on the beloved classic.
The Color Purple draws inspiration from Alice Walker’s iconic novel, and it centers on Celie Harris, an African American woman from the deep south, fighting with the demons of her dark past as she tries to forge her own path and find her identity.
Walker’s novel previously inspired Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, but the new film will have a completely different tone. Instead of drawing inspiration directly from the book, this version will be based on the stage musical which ran on Broadway between 2005 and 2008 and earned eleven Tony nominations.
Spielberg and Winfrey are coming back on board as producers, alongside Quincy Jones, while Blitz Bazawule directed the project. The film’s impressive cast includes include Fantasia Barrin, Taraji P. Henson, Phylicia Mpasi, Halle Bailey, Elizabeth Marvel, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R, Coleman Domingo, and Corey Hawkins, among others.
The Color Purple will be released in theatres by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 25.