by Alice Walker The Color Purple has been a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, an Oscar award-nominated drama, and a Tony Award-winning musical over the years, and while each of the retellings of the classic story is unique, the first trailer for Warner Bros.’ The upcoming remake looks like it will be an interesting combination of everything.
From executive producers Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Steven Spielberg, and Scott Sanders, Warner Bros. new The Color Purple tells the story of Celie (Phylicia Mpasi, Fantasia Barrino) and Nettie Harris (Halle Bailey, Ciara Wilson), two sisters whose traumatic lives are turned upside down when Nettie is forced to run away in search of a better life as a you are a teenager. Time and distance separated the sisters and changed them into very different people in the years they were apart. But a childhood promise to keep in touch by letter gives Celie hope that she’ll see her brother again one day, and the trailer highlights how important Mpasi and Bailey’s performances as siblings are. who used to be a woman to understand Barino and Wilson as their mature selves.
While the trailer only gives us the tiniest taste of Fantasia’s vocals, Taraji P. Henson’s spin on Shug Avery, and Danielle Brooks’ Sofia, that’s all you need to know how electric they are. We’re still a long way from the next awards season cycle, but it’s safe to assume it’s over The Color Purple hits theaters on December 25, it could be one of the stronger contenders.
