The Colour Purple was adapted into a movie, then it was turned into a musical, and now it will become a movie musical.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the producers of the Broadway version of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel – Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders – will produce the new film, joined by the director of the original film version, Steven Spielberg.
The Colour Purple tells the story of Celie, a black woman growing up in poverty in the Deep South, who faces all manner of hardships that test her resolve and her faith in God.
The musical previously won two Tony awards, while Spielberg’s film landed 11 Oscar nominations. The latter starred Whoop Goldberg as Celie, and marked Winfrey’s acting debut.
No castings for this big-screen musical have been made yet, and the next step for the project is finding a writer. It is not yet clear whether Spielberg will direct.
“We’re really excited to create a film that translates the heart and emotion we found in telling this generational story on stage,” Sanders commented. “This is an incredibly powerful drama that needs to be shared.”
