Clock strikes upon the hour, and the next Oscar-bait biopic is almost here. This year, it’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the latest project to focus on Whitney Houston (after Angela Bassett’s Lifetime film Whitney). A trailer gives our first look at BAFTA winner Naomi Ackie as Houston and Stanley Tucci as music mogul Clive Davis — who’s also producing the movie and handpicked Tucci to portray him. The film follows from Houston’s discovery by Davis to her massive pop success, promising “the Whitney you never knew†… while, at least in the trailer, mostly showing Houston on progressively bigger stages. The latest trailer introduces some conflict to this story, showing Houston defending herself as a Black artist and arguing with her father over her career. And, yes, singing “I Will Always Love You.†Hey, if there’s anyone we can trust to deliver a good music biopic, it’s Bohemian Rhapsody writer Anthony McCarten, right? Right?? I Wanna Dance, directed by Kasi Lemmons, is out December 21.
This post has been updated.