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The
new musical adaptation, directed by Blitz Bazawule, draws from a
screenplay by Marcus Gardley, based on the stage musical of the
same name, which were all based in turn on the 1982 novel of the
same name by Alice Walker.
The 2023 version is the second film adaptation after a 1985
movie starring Whoopi Goldberg, who won a Golden Globe for her
performance as Celie.
"The biggest thing for me was just making sure that we can
justify our reason for contributing to the canon of 'The Color
Purple,'" Bazawule told Reuters on the red carpet.
"The Color Purple" follows the story of two Black American
teenage sisters, Celie and Nettie, in the American south during
the early 1900s.
Celie embarks on a journey to find her freedom after she and
Nettie are separated by the men in their lives and must overcome
years of abuse.
Bazawule, a Ghanaian filmmaker and record producer known for the
film "The Burial of Kojo," said he wanted to introduce Celie as
a complex character, not just someone "docile and waiting to be
saved" as she endured abuse.
For him, this vision for Celie differs from other adaptations
because it allows audiences to delve into her headspace so they
can begin to understand that there was no easy way out of the
abuse she experiences.
The 2023 film, which arrives in theaters on Dec. 25 and is
distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, stars Fantasia Barrino as
Celie and Ciara as Nettie.
Taraji P. Henson, who plays vivacious blues singer Shug Avery,
who inspires Celie to fight for her agency, said she hoped she
could make the crew behind the 1985 movie - including Oprah
Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and Quincy Jones - proud.
"Now, I have to rise to the occasion. I love a good challenge,"
she said.
(Reporting by Natasha Mulenga in London and Danielle Broadway in
Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
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