The good Lord Oprah work in mysterious ways, which means another trailer for the upcoming movie-musical adaptation of The Color Purple just dropped. The trailer gives us a sneak peek of Fantasia as Celie, Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Danielle Brooks as Sophia, Halle Bailey as young Nettie, H.E.R. as Squeak, and Colman Domingo as Mister, among others. The Color Purple has lived through many forms, beginning as a 1982 novel by Alice Walker, before becoming a 1985 Spielberg film starring Whoopi Goldberg, and a Broadway musical in 2005, which was then revived in 2015. Now, that musical is making its way to the screen, produced by Oprah, Spielberg, and Quincy Jones and directed by Blitz Bazawule (Black Is King).
The first trailer gives your ears a taste of a “trailer-fied†version of the musical’s iconic 11 o’clock number “I’m Here,†which Fantasia is used to belting out — she played Celie in the original Broadway production from April 2007 to January 2008. Also migrating from the stage is Danielle Brooks, who played Sofia in the revival. However, the second trailer shown above transitions back and forth from Nettie’s childhood and her adult life with her abusive husband Mister. Sophia, who marries Mister’s son, confronts him about his abuse of Nettie. She tells him, “I come here out of respect. But if they’re ain’t none to get, there sure ain’t none to give.†Tension continues to rise as Shug’s “Push Da Button†echoes throughout the rest of the trailer. The Color Purple will be in theaters on December 25, making Fantasia’s voice the very best Christmas present of them all.
This post has been updated.