Sony Pictures and TriStar have been developing a biopic feature film with director Stella Meghie based on singer and sometimes-actress Whitney Houston titled “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and have now selected an actress to play the lead role.
Deadline now reveals that “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” actress Naomi Ackie has landed the part of Whitney Houston. Other projects that Ackie has been involved with lately include Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology, “End of The F***ing World,” and the unaired “Game of Thrones” prequel spinoff pilot directed by S.J. Clarkson for HBO.
READ MORE: ‘Game of Thrones’: HBO Kills Naomi Watts-Led Spin-Off Series Following Pilot Review
Stella Meghie’s directing credits consist of “The Photograph,” HBO’s “Insecure,” and ABC’s “Grown-ish.” Here is what Stella had to say about casting Naomi as the iconic singer.
“We spent the better part of the last year in an exhaustive search for an actress who could embody Whitney Houston. Naomi Ackie impressed us at every stage of the process. I was moved by her ability to capture the stage presence of a global icon while bringing humanity to her interior life,” said Meghie in an official statement posted by Deadline.
The film could undoubtedly pull from the many ups-and-downs from Houston’s life with the successful musical career, her stint in movies with the beloved romantic thriller “The Bodyguard” co-starring with Kevin Costner, Whitney’s marriage to New Edition singer Bobby Brown, the pair’s troubles with substance abuse notoriously aired in public and turned into sketch comedy fodder and parody on shows like “Mad TV,” and her life ending with a tragic death in early 2012.
However, it’s pointed out the feature film project has the blessing of the Houston Estate and might signal it might not go as dark as some may imagine. Its screenplay was penned by screenwriter Anthony McCarten, who has experience with the genre landing an Oscar nomination for “Bohemian Rhapsody” along with other scripts for successful biopics “The Theory of Everything” and “Darkest Hour.”
There is a strong pedigree of biopics about musicians doing well in the awards race with plenty of examples such as “Ray,” “Walk The Line,” the aforementioned “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Straight Outta Compton.”
Their next big casting will be who they want to play musician, singer, and husband Bobby Brown.