Russell Wilson isnโt the only one in his house booking a new gig, as his wife, R&B singer Ciara, has joined the cast of The Color Purple movie musical. According to Entertainment Weekly, the โGet Upโ singer will play Adult Nettie. Singer/actress Halle Bailey was previously cast as Young Nettie.
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The film, which is being produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, is based on the stage musical. While it follows a similar story to the 1985 film, act two expands on Celieโs life after leaving Mister, including scenes of Nettie in Africa and the sistersโ reunion.
Ciara joins a star-studded cast that includes Broadway stars Fantasia as Celie and Danielle Brooks as Sofia, alongside Empire star Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Colman Domingo (Euphoria) as Mister, Corey Hawkins (The Tragedy of Macbeth) as Harpo, Grammy and Oscar winner H.E.R. as Squeak, legendary Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. as Olโ Mister, and Tony winner David Alan Grier (A Black Lady Sketch Show) as Reverend Avery.
If you take away nothing else from this cast, itโs that you havenโt truly lived until youโve seen Fantasia sing โIโm Here.โ It comes near the end of act two, so plan your trip to the theater accordingly. With Oprah and Spielberg producing, itโs also worth questioning whether weโll see cameos from original film stars like Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover or Winfrey? Seems like itโs a safe bet.
This will be a big mountain to climb for Ciara, as she doesnโt have extensive film experience. Her credits consist of recurring as herself on The Game, the 2012 Adam Sandler movie Thatโs My Boy, the musical Mama, I Want to Sing! and the 2006 MTV movie All Youโve Got. Obviously, sheโs a veteran entertainer with countless live performances and music videos under her belt, but a musical of this scale is a different animal.
Production is scheduled to begin in Georgia this month, with the film aiming for a December 2023 release.
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