Directed by Blitz Bazawule, the new film adaption of The Color Purple stars Fantasia Barrino and Ciara as their elder selves, Celie and Nettie.
The trailer focuses on Celie’s journey and maturation after the loss of her sister at the hands of her husband. The film will incorporate musical themes into its plot to highlight the trials its protagonists face. Halle Bailey, best known as Ariel from The Little Mermaid, will play a younger version of Nettie Harris in the film.
Warner Bros. has published a second trailer for the upcoming Blitz Bazawule–helmed musical The Color Purple. Two Black sisters, separated as children, try to find their way back to each other. Fantasia Barrino will play the elder Harris sibling, while Ciara will take on the roles of Celie Harris-Johnson and Nettie Harris. The doors are about to open for a brand new audience to see a timeless masterpiece.
The new trailer explains the plot, which centers on Celie’s maturation after the loss of her sister at the hands of her controlling husband (Colman Domingo), whom she despises. Music will play a significant role in the story Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are producing, allowing the protagonists to vocalize their inner turmoil. When Nettie and Celie are older, we witness them venturing out into a world that isn’t always welcoming to them, as they struggle to develop their talents despite the harsh and racist reality of their era.
Since the Harris sisters’ history will be examined in their youth, one of this year’s top performers will be viewed as a replacement for Nettie. Halle Bailey, fresh from her role as Ariel in this summer’s The Little Mermaid, will play the younger Nettie Harris to Ciara’s adult version. With her character, Celie, separated from Phylicia Pearl Mpasi’s younger Celie, the actress will lend her musical talents to the film.
Reimagining “The Color Purple” for Modern Audiences
Spielberg has previously been associated with other musicals based on books by Alice Walker, so this wouldn’t be a first for him. The director helmed his own cinematic adaptation of the classic tale in 1985, starring Whoopi Goldberg as Celie and Akosua Busia as Nettie. The picture received an unprecedented eleven nominations for Academy Awards, but it went home empty-handed.
The new production of The Color Purple features such high-caliber talent that it may finally win the honors it deserves. Taraji P. Henson, H.E.R., and others round out the cast, which also includes Daniel Brooks (Orange Is the New Black) and Corey Hawkins (The Last Voyage of the Demeter).
Before seeing the film on Christmas Day, be sure to watch the latest trailer for The Color Purple, which you can watch below: