After landing the titular role in The Little Mermaid, Halle Bailey is booked on her next movie musical.
One half of the "Chloe x Halle", Halle Bailey is tapped to play the iconic young Nettie on the new upcoming film adaptation of "The Color Purple".
According to producer Oprah Winfrey, who was also on the 1985 version of the film, one of the reasons she cast Bailey is because "She's somebody whose presence you can feel in her absence".
The Little Mermaid actress joins an already star-studded cast, including Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Dannielle Brooks as Sofia, and Fantasia Barrino, Celie, who plays the lead, assumed the role on the Original 2005 Broadway production in 2008.
The cast also includes In The Height's Corey Hawkins, and Grammy-winner H.E.R. playing the mistress/waitress Squeak.
On getting Halle Bailey
Vanity Fair reports that Halle Bailey's role, Nettie, is Fantasia Barrino's Cellie's sister.
According to Winfrey, Nettie is a "critical character" in the film as it needs "somebody who can be felt even when not onscreen".
She also pointed out that Halle Bailey's Nettie's memory, feeling, and strength transcends, even when "you're only hearing her voice from her letters".
Casting Broadway mainstays
Oprah, who will be producing this upcoming film adaptation of "The Color Purple", revealed the casting choices last Thursday at Soul of Nation.
She cast Fantasia Barrino as Celie, the lead character.
Winfrey believed that Fantasia possesses a "rawness and a vulnerability" needed for Celie. "I think we're gonna see a side of Fantasia that no one ever imagined.", Oprah continued.
Meanwhile, Danielle Brooks will reprise her role of Sofia, whom she played on Broadway's 2015 revival, earning her a Tony nod for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
On the other hand, Taraji Henson was cast as the bold Shrug Avery. According to Oprah, Henson embodied the "sense of sexiness and bodaciousness but grounded in wisdom" that they are looking for Celie's role model, Shrug Avery.
The tale of The Color Purple chronicles the lives of numerous Black women, including Celie and Nettie Harris, Shug Avery, and Miss Millie, as they navigate life in the 1930s Southern United States of America.
Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg will produce "The Color Purple", directed by Bazawule, who worked with Beyoncé on the "Black Is King" film.
The much-anticipated musical film will hit theatres on December 20, 2023.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
