The Color Purple was a critical and commercial success when it was released back in 1985, but is the planned remake of the period drama still happening? Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Color Purple is a movie based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker, which was published in 1982. The film spans four decades in the life of protagonist Celie Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg), a black woman living in rural Georgia in the early 20th century who rises above the terrible hardships she suffers at the hands of her abusive father (Leonard Jackson) and husband Mister (Danny Glover). The Color Purple cast also features Akosua Busia as Celie’s younger sister Nettie, Oprah Winfrey as her step-daughter-in-law Sofia and Margaret Avery as Shug Avery – a showgirl and Mister’s mistress who becomes Celie’s close friend.
The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Academy Awards (with nods for Whoopi Goldberg as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominations for both Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery) but was criticized for being helmed by Steven Spielberg – a white director telling a story about black people. However, with a new take on the period drama on its way soon with black Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule (The Burial Of Kojo) set to direct, it looks like the remake could address one of the original Color Purple movie’s biggest problems.
Here’s everything we know about The Color Purple remake, including the movie’s plot and when it will be released.
The Color Purple Movie Remake Will Be A Musical
News of The Color Purple movie remake first broke in 2018 along with the reveal it will be a musical. The remake is based on the 2005 Broadway musical which, in turn, was inspired by Alice Walker’s The Color Purple book. Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders (who produced the 2005 musical and its 2015 revival) will produce the remake alongside Steven Spielberg through their companies Harpo Films, Scott Sanders Productions and Amblin Entertainment.
Blitz Bazawule will direct from a script penned by Marcus Gardley (The Chi) and Alice Walker will executive produce the remake alongside her daughter Rebecca Walker, Carla Gardini (Queen Sugar), Mara Jacobs (In The Heights) and Spielberg’s frequent collaborator Kristie Macosko Krieger (West Side Story).
The Color Purple Remake Has A 2023 Release Date
The Color Purple movie musical is currently set for a 20 December 2023 release and will be distributed by Warner Bros who also released Spielberg’s 1985 film. The cast of The Color Purple remake has yet to be announced, but fans of Walker’s original novel have suggested that Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o would be perfect as literary heroine Celie Johnson.