Exhale! The upcoming Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, has found its Nippy. British actress Naomi Ackie is in final negotiations to portray the legendary singer, according to the The Hollywood Reporter. From the writer behind Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Anthony McCarten, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is directed by Stella Meghie, who helmed 2020 romance The Photograph starring Issa Rae. “We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston,†said Meghie, per THR. “Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life.â€
Ackie is currently in Steve McQueen’s Amazon anthology series Small Axe, with previous roles in Netflix’s The End of the F***ing World and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Pat Houston, Whitney’s sister-in-law and longtime manager, will produce the movie on behalf of her estate along with music producer Clive Davis. “Naomi Ackie’s screen test was so powerful, it sent shivers up my spine,†Davis said in a statement. “Although Whitney’s incomparable vocals are used for all the songs, Naomi’s extraordinary acting range enables her to masterfully capture Whitney’s unique charm, star power, and, of course, her personal struggles. Naomi is the real deal and I can’t imagine a better choice for this iconic role.â€