Blitz Bazawule’s “The Coloration Purple” film musical has located its Celie and Sofia in Fantasia Taylor and Danielle Brooks.
Both equally actors reprise their respective roles from the phase musical, wherever Taylor manufactured her Broadway debut as Celie in 2007 pursuing her “American Idol” get, and Brooks attained a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Sofia in the 2015 revival.
Taylor and Brooks’ casting was announced on Thursday as portion of the ABC News special “Soul of a Nation Offers: Display screen Queens Mounting.” For the duration of the broadcast, “ABC News Live Prime” anchor Linsey Davis interviewed the gals about reviving their roles for the film and subsequent the Oscar-nominated huge display performances by Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.
Brooks relived the emotional minute when Winfrey, who is producing the new film below her Harpo Films banner, revealed that she was picked out for the job for the duration of a Zoom call.
“I am below representing all points purple to explain to you that you are our Sofia,” Winfrey stated in the recording. “I’m so joyful to pass regardless of what baton from 35 — nearly 40 — several years back to you. And I know you’re gonna eliminate it.”
“My coronary heart is so comprehensive,” a teary Brooks replied. “I’m going to make you so proud.”
“You previously have,” Winfrey responded. “I desired to be the 1 to notify you simply because you know I have this sort of enjoy for her, this character, every little thing she signifies and almost everything she brought to my lifetime. And what I’m hoping is that she does the identical matter for you.”
JUST IN: @TasiasWord and @thedanieb will sign up for the solid of @WBPictures‘ #TheColorPurple along with @tarajiphenson, @HERMusicx, and Corey Hawkins!
Many thanks for supporting with the reveal on #SoulOfANation @oprah! https://t.co/cmCYuBDn39 pic.twitter.com/HwpR39d5WE
— Superior Early morning The united states (@GMA) February 4, 2022
Brooks, who is most effective regarded for her do the job on “Orange is the New Black” and presently stars in “Peacemaker,” also uncovered that observing “The Shade Purple” on Broadway as a teenager influenced her to act.
“Seeing all of these gorgeous array of various skin tones, and voices, and the tale, and I just sat like this and I cried,” she said. “I observed that it was achievable, like, I could do this factor that I’ve been executing in my modest city of South Carolina. I could do this for a residing.”
Likewise, Taylor shared that she connected with Celie’s story as a young girl seeing the motion picture.
“The coloration of my skin … my lips were being generally larger, the most significant matter on my body,” she recalled, detailing how she associated to Celie. “I try to remember staying on ‘Idol,’ and we had to come up with this tiny point, and I reported, ‘My lips are huge, but my expertise is more substantial.’ I had begun accepting who I was at that age, but when I was youthful, it was factors that I dealt with — just sensation lovely, seeking a particular sort of adore, so we relate in a great deal of strategies.”
Davis also sat down with Goldberg to replicate on the affect of the film, which marked her feature performing debut.
“What did you feel that ‘The Shade Purple’ did as much as the strength of Black girls on the major monitor?” Davis requested.
“It reminds people that we are the backbone of a whole lot of this region,” Goldberg reported.
The upcoming Warner Bros. film is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which is itself an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The generation is directed by Bazawule, very best known for his perform on Beyoncé’s “Black Is King,” “The Burial of Kojo” and “Cherish the Working day.” Marcus Gardley (“The Chi”) wrote the screenplay, primarily based on Walker’s novel, the 1985 film and the stage musical (with a book by Marsha Norman, and tunes and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Stephen Bray and the late Allee Willis).
Alongside Winfrey, Spielberg also returns to develop for his Amblin Entertainment. Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, equally of whom generated the Broadway musical, are also producers. Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Mara Jacobs, Carla Gardini, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Fell are government producers.
Previously this 7 days, Wide variety completely unveiled that Taraji P. Henson experienced joined the forged as Shug Avery. The new cast associates sign up for earlier announced stars Corey Hawkins (who will get on the job of Harpo), and Oscar and Grammy-profitable artist H.E.R. (who was forged as Squeak).
Next the ABC Information exclusive, Self-importance Truthful declared that Colman Domingo and Halle Bailey would round out the main ensemble, as Mister and Nettie, respectively.
“The Shade Purple” starts output this spring and is slated for release in 2023.
