The Color Purple (2023)

Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey return to produce a musical adaptation of their 1985 film

The Color Purple is a musical period drama produced by Amblin Entertainment and Harpo Films. The film is based on the 2005 musical of the same name written by Marsha Norman with songs composed by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray. The musical itself is based on the acclaimed novel The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker in 1982. The book was first adapted to the screen in 1985 by Steven Spielberg and starred Oprah Winfrey. In the 2023 adaptation, Spielberg and Winfrey are producers alongside Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders. Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule directs the adaptation after catching Oprah’s attention with his 2018 film The Burial of Kojo.

The all-star cast is led by R&B singer, actor, and American Idol-winner Fantasia Barrino as the young Celie Harris. Academy and Grammy Award-winning singer H.E.R lends her vocals as Squeak. Singer, songwriter, and dancer Ciara Harris stars as Nettie, and her younger self is portrayed by Halle Bailey, who plays Ariel in the 2023 The Little Mermaid live-action remake. Acclaimed stage and screen actor Colman Domingo plays Mister, while Hidden Figures’ Taraji P Henson plays Shug Avery. Broadway and screen actor Corey Hawkins takes on one of the lead characters, Harpo. The rest of the talented cast includes Louis Gossett Jr, David Alan Grier, Aunjanue Ellis, Tamela J Mann, and Deon Cole.