Based on the epic life and music of the iconic singer, Naomi Ackie is set to play the legendary singer Whitney Houston in the forthcoming biopic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody.’
Produced in cooperation with the Houston estate, Whitney’s sister-in-law and former manager Pat Houston, and scheduled for a December 21 North American theatrical release, the film is named after Houston’s 1987 #1 pop single.
Record producer Clive Davis, who signed Houston to Arista Records in 1983, is also a producer of the film, with the script penned by Academy Award-nominated writer Anthony McCarten, who previously wrote the script for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Alongside Ackie as Houston, the film also stars Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis, Ashton Sanders as Houston’s husband Bobby Brown, Tamara Tunie as Houston’s mother Cissy, Clarke Peters as Houston’s father John and Nafessa Williams as Houston’s former assistant and creative director Robyn Crawford.
According to the movie’s official synopsis “I Wanna Dance with Somebody is an upcoming feature about the late musical icon, Whitney Houston.” “Naomi Ackie stars as Whitney Houston in the musical biopic, which is based on the epic life and music of the iconic singer. Directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Academy Award Nominee Anthony McCarten, the film will take audiences on an emotional, energetic journey through Houston’s career and music.”
Houston, who tragically passed away in 2012, remains one of the most successful music artists of all time winning six Grammy Awards throughout her career, with ‘I Will Always Love You’ maintaining the title of the best-selling single by a woman of all time.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Asterio Tecson