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We can‘t predict the future, but Thanksgiving 2022 might be extra special thanks to Sony’s TriStar Pictures. As reported by Deadline, the American film studio has won the rights for I Wanna Dance With Somebody, a biopic centered on the life of the one and only Whitney Houston.
Although there are more movies based on the personal life and musical career of the late songstress, this will be the first film authorized by The Whitney Houston Estate. I Wanna Dance With Somebody, named after Houston‘s 1987 hit single, has the participation of private music company Primary Wave and Grammy-winning music producer Clive Davis, and will have Stella Meghie as the director while Oscar-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten will be scripting and producing the biopic.
Houston‘s mentor Davis revealed that there is still so much more to tell about her story. “From all my personal and professional experience with Whitney from her late teenage years to her tragic, premature death, I know the full Whitney Houston story has not yet been told,“ he said. ”I am so glad that Anthony McCarten has committed to a no holds barred, musically rich screenplay that finally reveals the whole Whitney whose vocal genius deeply affected the world while she bravely battled the demons that were to be her undoing.”
The producers also informed that their vision for the film is to pay homage in a “joyous, emotional and heart-breaking celebration of the life and music of the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time, tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom. While being very frank about the price that super-stardom exacted, it will be both the rich and complex saga of the search for the perfect marriage between song and singer and audience, and at the same time the moving tale of a simple Jersey girl trying to find her way back home.”
“Whitney just makes you want to get out of your seat and sing and dance! She is anthemic in every way. Anthony McCarten has bottled that up in his masterful screenplay bringing this beloved legend to life in a way we’ve never seen her – funny, exhilarating, aspirational, complex, and incredibly human,” said TriStar Pictures head, Nicole Brown. ”Add to that Meghie, a diehard fan, who is so gifted at telling beautiful, modern, feminine tales. With the guidance of Pat Houston, the legendary Davis, Larry Mestel, and Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri, we have the absolute dream team to create the ultimate celebration of Whitney’s incredible life and musical achievements.”
Josh Greenstein, Sony Motion Picture Group President, said that having the chance of bringing Houston‘s story to the big screen is a once in a lifetime opportunity. “It is thrilling to have the opportunity to bring such an extraordinary global icon to life on the big screen,“ he said as reported by Deadline. ”Musically-driven films have always held a special place in theaters and this remarkable story will help further our fierce commitment to the theatrical experience.”
Houston, who tragically died by drowning due to coronary artery disease and cocaine intoxication in the bathtub of the Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, sold more than 200 million records worldwide and won six Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, two Emmy Awards, and 16 Billboard Music Awards.