Everything We Know so Far About the Musical Remake
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Steven Spielberg's 1985 film The Color Purple drove fans to tears of heartbreak, anger, and victory. The film, which was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, portrayed the adversity and triumph of Celie Harris, played by Whoopi Goldberg, and other black women in the south in the early 1900s. It's a story of black female struggle, with elements that still hold true today in modern America. The film was adapted from Alice Walker's 1982 novel of the same name, which also laid the ground for the 2005 Broadway musical adaptation, written by playwright Marsha Norman. It is a poignant and important story, personal to many, that is being retold in the form of a musical cinematic experience coming to theaters this holiday season. It's time for Celie Harris to triumph again.
1985's The Color Purple was life-changing for both fans and those involved. Oprah Winfrey was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the film, and she credits the movie for her current success. The Broadway musical, first performed in 2005 and then again in 2015, was nominated for eleven Tony awards in 2006, winning one, and won two Tony awards in 2016. Though both adaptations were based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the new film adaptation will be based on the Broadway musical. The new Color Purple boasts a star-studded cast, including the likes of Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black), and Taraji P. Henson (Empire). The Color Purple is a favorite for many black women across America; watching it provides an intimate and cathartic experience for most. And, with the brilliant cast and crew behind 2023's new film, it looks like Celie's story will yet again provide a magical cinematic encounter, leaving fans in awe.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on December 11, 2023.
The Color Purple
DramaMusicalA decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman's journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
Release Date December 25, 2023 Director Blitz Bazawule Cast Halle Bailey , Taraji P. Henson , Elizabeth Marvel , David Alan Grier , Colman Domingo , Louis Gossett Jr. Main Genre MusicalWhen Is the Release Date for 'The Color Purple'?
The Color Purple is coming as a Christmas gift to fans this year, premiering in theaters on Christmas Day 2023. Seeing as the Broadway musical pulled in $103 million in its first year, the new film will most likely delight audiences. It's the perfect film to see for Christmas, evoking feelings of gratitude and reminding viewers of their own stories of adversity and strength. It collects the personal struggles of black women everywhere into one moving tale about empowerment. This new Color Purple has a cast that is sure to deliver heart-wrenching performances. Theater floors will be slicked with tears.
The film will be opening against Illumination's latest animated adventure Migration, Sean Durkin's wrestling drama The Iron Claw, George Clooney's sports drama The Boys in the Boat, and Michael Mann's long-awaited Ferrari. Also opening around the same time is the superhero sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is also distributed by Warner Bros.
Will 'The Color Purple' Be Available to Stream?
The Color Purple will enjoy an exclusive theatrical release, but once that window ends, it will be made available to stream on Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service Max, which is where all of Warner Bros' titles land after their theatrical bow, including Barbie and Blue Beetle.
Is There a Trailer for 'The Color Purple'?
The first trailer for The Color Purple was released on May 22, 2023, and offered an extended look at the film. With nearly two and a half minutes of footage shown, The Color Purple trailer quickly sets the stage with outstanding visuals and a beautiful rendition of "I'm Here." We're quickly reminded of what made the Broadway production so special.
A second trailer for The Color Purple was released by Warner Bros on October 10, 2023, which further teased the film's musical numbers and star-studded cast.
The third and final trailer for The Color Purple, set to "Hell No," was released by Warner Bros on December 11, 2023.
What Is 'The Color Purple' About?
The Color Purple is the coming-of-age tale of Celie Harris and the tribulations she endures during her life in the early twentieth-century U.S. South. At fourteen, she is impregnated by her father, and after giving birth he takes the baby away. She is then given to Albert "Mister" Johnson for marriage, separated from her sister Nettie, whom she is tremendously close to. Mister beats Celie into submission and bans Nettie from their home, proclaiming that Celie will never see her sister again. Though Celie tells Nettie to write, Mister forbids Celie from touching the mailbox. Over decades, Celie lives a life of domestic imprisonment but meets a number of empowering women along the way, whose own stories are also impertinent to the plot. When Celie finally breaks away from Mister, cursing him in the process, her character only soars from there, and viewers are met with an exceptionally happy ending.
The woes that Celie perseveres by inciting anger in solidarity and empathy for her timid nature. But the bonds that are made are endearing, and viewers will find themselves laughing and awing through their tears. Both adaptations in the past stuck to the same major plot points, producing a lifetime of both beauty and sorrow in the span of a few hours.
The official synopsis for The Color Purple reads:
Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to experience “The Color Purple.” Produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, the film is a bold new take on the classic story of love and resilience, adapted from the beloved novel and the Broadway musical. Torn apart from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) and her children, Celie (Fantasia Barrino in her major motion picture debut, reprising her 2005 role from Broadway) faces many hardships in her life, including an abusive husband simply called Mister (Colman Domingo). With the support of sultry singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson) and stand-her-ground stepdaughter Sofia (Danielle Brooks, Tony-nominated for the role on Broadway), Celie ultimately finds extraordinary strength in the unbreakable bonds of a new kind of sisterhood.
Who Stars in 'The Color Purple'?
CloseFans anticipating the new Color Purple will be absolutely pleased with the astounding cast, seeing a couple of the Broadway members returning for the big screen. American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, who served as a replacement for Celie in the original Broadway production, is coming back for the lead role. Orange is the New Black's Danielle Brooks is reclaiming her role as
strong-willed Sofia, who she also played in the 2015 Broadway revival. Empire's Taraji P. Henson will be assuming the role of Mister's longtime lover, the famous Shug Avery, with Colman Domingo (Euphoria) playing heavy-handed Albert "Mister" Johnson. Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), plays young Nettie Harris, with Ciara as her adult counterpart. Corey Hawkins(In the Heights) is Mister's son, Harpo, and Louis Gossett Jr. (Roots) is Mister's father, Ol' Mister Johnson. R&B singer H.E.R. is assuming the role of Harpo's girlfriend, Mary "Squeak" Agnes, and David Alan Grier (In Living Color) will portray Reverend Samuel Avery, Shug's estranged father.
Other talented cast members include Phylicia Mpasi as young Celie, Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) as Mama, Tamela J. Mann as First Lady, Dean Cole (Black-ish) as Alfonso, Stephen Hill as Henry "Buster" Broadnax, Elizabeth Marvel (Burn After Reading) as Miss Millie, and Jon Batiste as Grady. Many of the cast members are well-known singers and musicians, making for a hit musical film that is sure to blow audiences away.
Who Is Making 'The Color Purple'?
Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are the major studios behind the film, bringing Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey back to the film as producers. Quincy Jones, who composed the score for the 1985 film, is also producing, along with Scott Sanders, who produced the 2005 Broadway show. Other executive producers include Alice Walker, author of the 1982 novel, and her daughter Rebecca Walker, as well as Adam Fell, Carla Gardini, Mara Jacobs, and Kristie Macosko Krieger. Blitz Bazawule (Black is King) is directing the film, which Marcus Gardley wrote. And, as mentioned before, Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water) serves as the film's cinematographer. The production crew comprises such visionaries, and 2023's The Color Purple will be an unbelievable cinematic experience.
It is said that the new film will be unlike the original, utilizing elements of magical realism to explore the imagination of the main character, Celie Harris. Winfrey says they're doing things differently this time around, and "This ain't your mama's Color Purple."
When and Where Did 'The Color Purple' Film?
Filming for The Color Purple commenced in Georgia in March 2022. Several key sequences were shot at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island. Filming wrapped in July 2022.
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