LOS ANGELES: A feature film on the iconic American singer and actress Whitney Houston’s life is in the works after the screenwriter of the award-winning film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ signed up.
The biopic is being spearheaded by the Whitney Houston Estate, Primary Wave Music and music producer Clive Davis. The biopic called ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ will follow Houston from obscurity to pop stardom and promises to be “frank about the price that super-stardom exacted,” according to the announcement.
“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,” Davis said in a statement. He said McCarten’s script will finally reveal the “whole Whitney whose vocal genius deeply affected the world while she fiercely battled the demons that were to be her undoing.”
Houston sold over 200 million records worldwide during her 25-year career and won six Grammys, 16 Billboard Music Awards and two Emmys before her death in 2012. She was inducted earlier this year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten has signed up for the film. He has written biographical films such Two Popes, Darkest Hour, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Theory Of Everything.
On those films, Rami Malek (Freddie Mercury), Gary Oldman (Winston Churchill), and Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawkins) won lead actor Oscars three years straight, and Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins were just both nominated for Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, respectively.
Those films earned four Oscar and two BAFTA nominations for McCarten. This incredible biopic track record helped him win the support of the Houston family. He said in a statement that he was grateful to be working closely with the people who knew Houston best as focusing on a female icon will be a new one for him.
The announcement also said that Stella Meghie is in advanced talks to direct. Meghie most recently directed The Photograph with Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield. The project does not have a studio or distribution yet and there is still a big question on who would play the songstress.
I am ecstatic at the news of Whitney Houston’s official recognition and induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Whitney was unique, special and to be cherished. It’s very important to Whitney’s legacy and fully deserved. pic.twitter.com/e172eUGhpC
— Clive Davis (@CliveDavis) January 17, 2020
