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Alice Walker’s acclaimed novel “The Color Purple” is being adapted once more. Decades after Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation received accolades, a film inspired by the similarly lauded stage musical — which originally ran from 2005 to 2008, then again from 2015 to 2017 — is finally hitting theaters this December with an A-list cast for the ages.
On Feb. 3, 2022, during an “ABC News” special, Oprah Winfrey, who starred in Spielberg’s film, unveiled the official lineup of lead actors in the forthcoming adaptation: Fantasia Taylor, Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks, and Colman Domingo. Others who were later announced to join the star-studded cast include H.E.R., Taraji P. Henson, Ciara, Corey Hawkins, David Alan Grier, and newcomer Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, who plays young Celie.
During a May 22 press conference for “The Color Purple” trailer’s debut, which News JoJo was present for, director Blitz Bazawule — who served as co-director for Beyoncé’s “Black Is King” — spoke about the movie’s sweeping ensemble cast and his excitement for their performances. “For me, every time I was on set I was, like, the spoiled director. Literally, the amount of talent, ability, and brilliance was through the roof,” he shared.
“What we had was, also, kind of a difference of levels of experience,” Bazawule added, pointing out seasoned film stars like Henson and Domingo, along with Taylor, Brooks, and Mpasi, who are still fairly new to the movie world. He continued, “What I loved was to see the level of camaraderie and love and helping each other over time, and it started right from when the cast was announced. There were true sisterhoods being formed [and] true brotherhoods.”
Winfrey — whose portrayal of Sofia in the Spielberg adaptation earned her an Oscar nomination — is on board “The Color Purple” movie musical as a producer alongside Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders. For Essence’s November/December 2023 cover, Winfrey posed alongside cast members Henson, Brooks, Taylor, and H.E.R. In the cover story, the four actors reflected on how they felt when they learned they’d be starring in the forthcoming musical.
Taylor said she “started shouting.” “I ran through the house. I had just had my baby and was trying to bounce back. I kept thinking, This is not going to come through,” she recalled. “In the beginning, I wasn’t going to take the role—because I knew I was going to have to step into some things that I’d buried.”
H.E.R., meanwhile, said, “I was so excited,” about snagging her first major acting role in a feature film. She added, “I was a little afraid—not afraid, but I was nervous. I was taking on so much. But everything happens for a reason. And I’m so grateful. I learned so much being around you guys. I’m just ready to do more.”
Production for “The Color Purple” musical movie kicked off in Atlanta in the spring of 2022, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, with the cast sharing behind-the-scenes teasers in the weeks following. On June 30, 2022, Bailey posted a candid gallery of some on-set photos on Instagram — which feature Winfrey, Domingo, and Mpasi — captioned, “and that’s a wrap for me on the color purple 🎥💜i’m so very grateful to have had this experience, my second major motion picture complete in the last year and a half😭💕 God is so good 💕 here’s a few of my fav moments without showing too much ❤️.”
While we wait for the “The Color Purple” musical movie to arrive on Dec. 25, read ahead to learn more about the cast and their roles.
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