The upcoming screen version of Broadway's The Color Purple is only a month away, and producer Oprah Winfrey has released a new featurette introducing the cast and their unique interpretations of the iconic characters.
"There is nothing that has been more important or vital to me, culturally or artistically, than The Color Purple," says Winfrey, who received an Academy Award nomination playing Sophia in the original 1985 screen version of the Alice Walker novel. "It is a solid base of spiritual and emotional power for me. Every woman and man who has been invisible, who has felt unseen and unvalued, this is their story."
"[Director Blitz Bazawule's] mission statement was to showcase Blackness on every spectrum," adds Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, who plays Young Celie. To hear how the new cast is breathing new life into the American classic, watch the featurette above.
The film is led by Broadway Color Purple alums Fantasia Barrino as Celie and Danielle Brooks as Sophia, along with Grammy winners Jon Batiste as Grady and Ciara as Adult Nettie, Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Corey Hawkins as Harpo, H.E.R. as Squeak, Halle Bailey as Young Nettie, Tony nominee Colman Domingo as Mister, Tony winner David Alan Grier as Reverend Avery, Aunjanue Ellis as Celie and Nettie's mother, Elizabeth Marvel as Miss Millie, Louis Gossett, Jr. as Ol' Mister, Broadway Lion King alum Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as Young Celie, Tamela Mann as First Lady, Deon Cole as Alfonso, Stephen Hill as Buster, Terrence J. Smith as Adam, Tiffany Elle Burgess as Olivia, and Aba Arthur as Abena.
READ: David Alan Grier Reveals New Songs Written for Upcoming The Color Purple Movie Musical
Blitz Bazawule, who co-helmed Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King, directs, with Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Sanders, and Steven Spielberg serving as producers. Marcus Gardley penned the screenplay, adapted from Marsha Norman’s stage book and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray’s score. The stage musical was adapted from Alice Walker's 1982 Pulitzer-winning novel and its 1985 film adaptation.
The Color Purple debuted on Broadway in 2005, winning original Celie, LaChanze, a Tony Award for her performance. A 2015 revival helmed by John Doyle earned its Celie, Cynthia Erivo, a Tony Award before propelling her to Hollywood stardom. Brooks co-starred with Erivo as Sophia, the role she reprises in the upcoming movie musical.
Set to release in movie theatres December 25, moviegoers are being encouraged to gift a ticket to family and friends with Color Purple-themed digital and physical gift cards available at Fandango.com.
