LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey have reconnected to remake 'The Color Purple' as a musical film under Blitz Bazawule's direction. The first trailer of the new adaptation of the musical hit has been made available by Warner Brothers, which is scheduled to make its North American debut on December 25, 2023. 'American Idol' winner Fantasia Barrino reprises her Broadway role as Celie, originally played by Whoopi Goldberg, in her major motion picture debut.
The 2005 Broadway musical adaption by Marsha Norman was based on the 1982 book of the same name by Alice Walker. The 1985 movie, which received eleven Academy Award nominations, portrayed the struggle and success of Celie, played by Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg once revealed how she received Steven Spielberg's invitation to accept the career-launching part in the classic movie 'The Color Purple'.
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Whoopi wanted to play 'dirt on the floor'
Comedian, actor, author, and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg once revealed how she managed to bag the lead role of Celie in the 1985 musical hit 'The Color Purple'. Speaking at 'Oprah's Master Class' in 2014, Goldberg said that she decided to write Alice Walker a letter after hearing her read 'The Color Purple' on the radio, telling her that Whoopi would perform the line "dirt on the floor" in any film adaptation of her book. It turns out that Alice was already familiar with Goldberg and desired for her to play a considerably larger role.
Goldberg said, "I wrote her a letter. Said if they ever make a movie of this very bold, ever make a movie. I played dirt on the floor. When I came here for the first time, there was a letter waiting for me at my mother's house, a purple envelope."
"And when I looked at it, it said it was from Alice Walker and what she wrote was, 'I already know you. I've seen all your shows. I know your work and I've already sent your stuff to them. So Steven said, if we want to offer you the part of Ceiling' and I said, really, why?" Goldberg continued.
As a theatre actress, Goldberg added, "I just never thought I would be doing movies. I thought I'd always be on Broadway. I said I've never made a movie." When Goldberg mentioned that she was "kind of used to audiences," Spielberg assured her and said, "Don't be an audience there. The entire crew is your audience and that lands, there are hundreds and thousands of people in there, and so you're acting to them. But they're sort of a mute. So you'll have to feel that."
Goldberg's theater career set the way for her role in 'The Color Purple'. Early in the 1980s, Goldberg wrote a one-woman piece named 'The Spook Show'. Walker and Spielberg were so impressed by Goldberg's performance in 'The Spook Show' that they instantly cast her as Celie, the lead in 1985's 'The Color Purple,' per Film School Rejects.
Fantasia Barrino as Celie Harris
Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, and a host of other well-known actors appeared in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of 'The Color Purple', which was released in December 1985. The most recent adaptation will feature several of the same A-list actors. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fantasia Barrino will take on the role of Celie Harris, the lady whose story serves as the centerpiece of the plot.
Danielle Brooks, who has previously starred in 'Peacemaker', has been added to the film's cast as Sofia. On ABC's 'Soul of a Nation: Screen Queens Rising', Oprah surprised Brooks during an emotional Zoom conversation and announced the cast.