Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier, Tamela Mann and More added to The Color Purple film
Warner Bros. Pictures has announced the latest additions to its upcoming film, The Color Purple, coming to theatres worldwide in December 2023.
Louis Gossett Jr. has been cast as Ol’ Mister, David Alan Grier as Reverend Avery, and Tamela Mann as the First Lady. Phylicia Mpasi will join as Young Celie, Deon Cole as Alfonso, and Stephen Hill as Buster.
They join the previous announced cast which includes
Grammy Award-winning musical artist Fantasia Barrino as Celie, in her feature debut
Danielle Brooks (HBO Max’s The Peacemaker, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black) as Sofia
Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, TV’s Empire) as Shug Avery
Colman Domingo (Zola, Lincoln) as Mister
Corey Hawkins (In the Heights, Straight Outta Compton) as Harpo
Actor and Grammy-nominated musical artist Halle Bailey (TV’s Grown-ish) as Young Nettie
Grammy- and Oscar-winning singer H.E.R. as Squeak, in her feature debut
The forthcoming Warner Bros. movie is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which is itself an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The production is directed by Blitz Bazawule, best known for his work on Beyoncé’s “Black is King,” “The Burial of Kojo” and “Cherish the Day.”
Marcus Gardley (“The Chi”) wrote the screenplay, based on Alice Walker’s novel, the 1985 Warner Bros. Pictures film, and the stage musical (with a book by Marsha Norman and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray’s score).
Oprah Winfrey, who made her feature acting debut in Spielberg’s “The Color Purple,” is producing the new movie under her Harpo Films banner; Spielberg also returns to produce for his Amblin Entertainment. Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, both of whom produced the Broadway musical, are also producers. Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Mara Jacobs, Carla Gardini, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Fell are executive producers.